


(all i want to get is) a little bit closer.

by junfhongs



Category: NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Anal Fingering, Explicit Sexual Content, Friends to Lovers, Knotting, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-23 18:41:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 35,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14338674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junfhongs/pseuds/junfhongs
Summary: abo!au. a look into the disaster of Jonghyun and Minhyun's attempt at cohabitation with a stranger.





	1. Chapter 1

Minhyun wasn't too fond of the idea of living with yet another person. He and Jonghyun were doing great as roommates; they agreed on things, worked together on the chores, and didn't have to remind each other that rent was due in a week. _Someone_ was bound to figure out that they needed to pay their bills, but the problem lied in the fact that they couldn't handle the damn rent now that Jonghyun was down one part-time job.

The two of them computed for their income and knew that they were _fucked._ "I'm really sorry," Jonghyun said with a bowed head.

"Don't be," Minhyun mumbled. "Your boss was a creep, and you deserve better than that treatment."

Jonghyun had an ice pack against his fist, still a little sore from punching his ex-boss in the face after the fifth attempt at hitting on him for being a male omega. Maybe Jonghyun could have handled that better— _surely_ cursing at him would have just resulted in his pay being docked and maybe a suspension, if he said anything particularly scathing—but he didn't realize that until after his swung his fist. Oh well.

"That's going to look like shit on my résumé though." Jonghyun laughed weakly and leaned back on the couch. Minhyun could feel his exhaustion, feel his guilt as he couldn't look Minhyun in the eyes.

Minhyun sighed. Jonghyun was always like this, and Minhyun already knew how to deal with him before he decided to self-destruct. "Come here, idiot," he mumbled before attempting to trap Jonghyun in a hug. The reaction was instantaneous: Minhyun promptly received a palm against his face and Jonghyun's foot digging into his thigh with side helping of Jonghyun's surprised laughter. "What? I'm trying to comfort you!"

"Thank you! I don't need it!" yelled Jonghyun as he stood up and backed away from Minhyun's clingy antics. Minhyun grabbed his wrist and squeezed before Jonghyun could run away.

"Jonghyun," Minhyun said, suddenly somber. Minhyun knew how this was going to go: he would stop Jonghyun like this, unconsciously releasing a wave of alpha pheromones in an attempt to calm Jonghyun down; Jonghyun would bristle, shake his touch away, and attempt to hide until Minhyun decided to leave him alone.

But that wasn't happening, not today. _"Minhyun,"_ said Jonghyun, quiet but firm. Sometimes, Minhyun didn't feel like he was living with an omega; Jonghyun had a strength that wasn't at all related to his birth status. Minhyun found himself letting go with a lingering touch down Jonghyun's thumb.

"You sure you're okay? Do you want to get a drink or something?" asked Minhyun, though he knew his face was starting to contort at the thought of alcohol.

Jonghyun laughed and shoved his palm against Minhyun's face again, though he pulled back quick enough before Minhyun could attempt to bite him playfully. "It's three in the afternoon, Minhyun."

"I'm willing to do it! For you!" Minhyun's eagerness was appreciated but misplaced. "Fine," he sulked. "Treat me like this."

Jonghyun sighed and started walking backwards towards his room. "Look, Minhyun, I just—" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Give me some time to figure this out."

"Okay, fine. I'll leave you alone," said Minhyun. Right before Jonghyun could hide in his room, Minhyun called out to him. "Don’t— don’t apologize." Jonghyun opened his mouth to protest, but the soft look in Minhyun’s eyes caused him to sigh and shake his head with a smile. "I know you were about to."

"I was," said Jonghyun, and Minhyun thought he saw Jonghyun’s eyes shining again in the teary way that he always hated to see. "I’ll go get some air, buy stuff from the grocery. You need anything?"

"Nothing," said Minhyun, "but I do want you to stop running away from your thoughts."

"I'm _not_ running away, Minhyun." Jonghyun got his coat and checked for his keys in the pockets. "I'm processing my guilt and disappointment in a healthy and productive manner. Try it next time." Jonghyun winked as he walked away, leaving Minhyun in a confused laughing fit on the couch.

Minhyun wheezed as he finally calmed down, settling on the couch with his legs stretched over the edge. This wasn't new behavior from Jonghyun; Minhyun was already used to his 'healthy and productive' coping mechanisms that usually involved hiding his distress from Minhyun until he figured how to deal with the situation. It didn't stop Minhyun from worrying.

Now Minhyun was sensing a new problem drifting in the air. When Jonghyun was stressed, he couldn't help but release his omega scent, like a distress beacon that always attracted the wrong kind of help. On good days, he'd get concerned stares and a few people genuinely offering to listen. Most of the time, he was bombarded with scents attempting to overwhelm him, take over his senses, and take advantage of him. Minhyun had witnessed that almost coming true; he didn't want that to happen again.

Minhyun took off his sweater and ran out into the balcony, hoping that Jonghyun's scent wasn't too far away. Luckily for him, Jonghyun was just in front of their building, close enough for Minhyun to yell out his name and to toss his sweater at him. Jonghyun stared at the material and up at Minhyun who was shivering in his thin shirt. "I don't need this!" said Jonghyun, loud enough for Minhyun to glare at him in response.

Jonghyun's stubbornness truly knew no bounds. "Yes! Yes, you do!" Minhyun yelled back, and as a stranger passed by in a circle around Jonghyun, Minhyun knew the mark of his scent was enough to protect Jonghyun for a while. It wouldn't be the same as having Minhyun around to physically protect him, but… well, Jonghyun wouldn't even _want_ that.

It took Minhyun’s indignant stare combined with his furious shivering for Jonghyun to give up and hold the damn sweater as he walked to the grocery that was three blocks away. Minhyun knew that three blocks weren’t much, but so many assholes could make that distance torturous if they really wanted to. Jonghyun didn’t need that in his life today.

Minhyun watched Jonghyun go then climbed into bed and bundled himself in his blankets. He knew it was because of exhaustion, but Minhyun couldn't help but start thinking about the cold creeping up his toes. Would that be a daily problem in their lives if they weren't able to bounce back from this income loss? Would it really kill them to ask their parents for— who was he even kidding? Their pride and shame would _never_ allow them to ask for help, especially when it came to money.

The worst part was that they were doing fine before this; they were _great._ Minhyun was perfectly content with his living situation with Jonghyun. At first, he _was_ hesitant to live with an omega. Sure, he was immune to the scents of his family, and he thought that it would be the same when he was living with someone else. Minhyun had vague childhood memories of their family friend's son playing with him in his old room, and the recollection was enough for him to agree to his parents' suggestion of lumping them in an apartment together in Seoul for uni.

They didn't know he grew up to be an omega, and Minhyun certainly didn't expect his knees to buckle at the overwhelming scent that had already marked his territory in the new apartment he was about to move into. Minhyun's aggression was heightening as he looked for his mystery roommate, but that dropped as soon as he saw the boy sitting on the living room floor, staring at his castle of boxes.

"Hi," Minhyun had said. The boy—Kim Jonghyun, Minhyun quickly recalled from his father's roommate introduction cheat sheet—looked up at him and smiled weakly. Minhyun instantly melted at his soft eyes and the helplessness that he could read in his body language.

"You must be Minhyun. Nice meeting you, roomie," said Jonghyun, and Minhyun reached over a smaller pile of boxes to shake his hand. "Sorry about the mess. My mom was _really eager_ to get me to move out, I guess." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Where's your stuff?"

"My boxes will be delivered by tomorrow." Minhyun took a step back and blinked at the other pile still waiting in the kitchen doorway. "Are those more—"

"Oh, that's housewarming stuff! Pots and pans and things that my sisters knew we wouldn't realize we needed in our lives," said Jonghyun. Minhyun peeked into the box and pulled out a pair of oven mittens. "Huh. I always thought you only needed one."

"Yeah, good idea. Grab the pot with one hand and burn the other," Minhyun muttered, and his laughter was aggravated by Jonghyun jumping on his spot at the sudden sound. "Sorry about that," said Minhyun in between bursts of laughter.

Jonghyun leaned back on _yet another_ stack of boxes. "I'll get used to that." Jonghyun blinked at Minhyun. "Eventually."

It wasn't until later, when Minhyun was sitting on the bare bed of his bare bedroom, that Minhyun was finally able to breathe properly. There was something dizzying about the air outside, intoxicating and unfamiliar. It wouldn't let up, not even when Minhyun got his things and started marking his territory in the apartment. Minhyun thought it was just something he had to adjust to now that he was living with a new scent.

He was soon proven wrong a few weeks later when he came home late after applying for a part-time job and sensing an even thicker, headier scent in the air. At that instant, Minhyun felt himself heat up, mind quickly catching up to what his body was reacting to. So _this_ was an omega's scent; Minhyun didn't know why he wasn't able to pick that up instantly, but maybe it was because he was constantly trying to resist the urge to reach out towards Jonghyun and… touch.

He knew he was holding himself back out of propriety, but anyone could admit that Minhyun's roommate was attractive. He was kind, he had a beautiful smile, and now Minhyun was being made aware of the scent that was luring him towards Jonghyun's room.

He stopped a foot away from the door when he heard soft grunting and a bed shaking against the wall. Minhyun was stunned; he couldn't detect any other presence in the apartment, no one else that stood out besides himself and Jonghyun's scent that was quickly wrapping itself around Minhyun. He knew that Jonghyun was trying to be quiet, trying to hold himself back as he was getting off in an apartment that he thought he would have alone for the night.

Minhyun shook his head as he stepped away from that situation, closing the front door gently so that he wouldn't be heard, wouldn't be caught with a hard-on for catching his roommate in a compromising position. He wasn't going to be _that_ guy.

"So," Minhyun started during breakfast, the rare times when the two of them could talk, "you didn't tell me you were an omega."

Jonghyun blinked at him, pouring his milk and quietly waiting for Minhyun to continue. He didn't, so Jonghyun took that as his cue. "I… thought you knew. Or at least heard me introducing myself to everyone on the first day mixer," said Jonghyun. He blinked at Minhyun's obvious cluelessness. "We were beside each other the entire time, Minhyun."

"I was busy making friends! The friends who _you_ hang out with too, need I remind you," Minhyun retorted. He was right, though; Minhyun was busy that night trying to find a group of people who he could actually get along with. He found a mix of annoying and bearably annoying in Minki and Dongho respectively, plus their tour guide, Aron, who they basically held onto because of his wisdom, kindness, and capability to shell out money if they needed food. The lame ass jokes from all parties deducted some points on the friend scale, but the overall synergy was pretty damn great. Jonghyun had better be grateful that Minhyun worked hard enough in socializing to find them a good group to hide behind.

"Does it… bother you?" asked Jonghyun, fist clenching around his spoon.

Minhyun shrugged then. "Not at all."

That was a lie. It _very much_ bothered him, especially when he couldn't concentrate as Jonghyun's scent wafted in the air, tempting Minhyun even though he knew he didn't want to do anything about it. It was… weird? To be attracted to someone just because of their pheromones? Jonghyun possessed the right amount of sweetness, like the scent of flowers drifting in the wind by a lake: calm, steady, sweet, and intoxicating in a way that Minhyun couldn't understand.

Besides, Jonghyun didn't deserve that kind of attention in the safe space of his home. Jonghyun was a great, respectable roommate who had only ever brought home a person once— and Minhyun did _not_ want to get into the details of what he saw, heard, and smelled that night.

Other than that slight inconvenience, Minhyun loved living with Jonghyun. Maybe that was why he was so shocked when Jonghyun came back from the grocery with wide-blown eyes that spoke of a bad idea in his mind.

"So," Minhyun croaked out, still reeling from suddenly being woken up from his nap, "what happened?"

"I have an idea," said Jonghyun. "The money problem. The rent. I— I figured it out."

Minhyun blinked at him from under his three blankets. Jonghyun was hesitant to step into his room, always respecting how Minhyun painstakingly marked all of his belongings and his territory to make sure they never had to fight over those things. They marked what was theirs, but their shared space was a mixture of lilies and grass, fresh and sweet and just like _home._

"Come in," Minhyun said, sitting up and stretching. "Please tell me this is going to be good."

"It is!" said Jonghyun, and he took a seat on the spare bed across Minhyun's. "Okay. So I was walking back with enough bread for two weeks when I saw this homeless man sleeping on the side—"

Minhyun groaned. "Oh god, we are _not_ going to start a charity to get tax deductions, Jonghyun."

"I…" Jonghyun blinked at him. "I was not even headed in that direction, oh god. _Why_ is that the first thing you thought I would think of?"

"You're— too nice," said Minhyun. Jonghyun just blinked in response. "So? What's the actual idea?"

"Well, rent is shit. If we can't handle splitting it two ways, maybe it would be easier as three," Jonghyun said, playing with the hem of the sweater he was wearing— _Minhyun's_ sweater. "It might be a good idea to start looking for another roommate."

Minhyun could feel the growl deep in his throat at the thought of someone _unfamiliar_ in their space, and then he realized they _had_ no space. "Uh, where do you plan on placing this new roommate? No one's going to pay to sleep on a fold-out couch."

"Well," Jonghyun leaned back on the bed, "you have a spare right here."

Minhyun sat up. "Jonghyun, _no._ "

"Please hear me out!" said Jonghyun, arms immediately out in defense. "Look, I highly doubt I'll be able to find a job in time for rent this month. It's… shitty, but not a lot of establishments are willing to accommodate an omega and their pheromones that attract trouble constantly. I'm sick of it, Minhyun. Splitting rent with someone else might be the quickest way to fix this for us, _without_ having to ask our parents for help."

Minhyun bit his lip. He knew Jonghyun was right, but the mere thought of having to change up everything they've established just to make way for someone they barely knew felt like shit. "Jonghyun, what if he's messy? Or worse: _noisy?_ "

"Minhyun, you quite literally have no right to complain about that," said Jonghyun, chuckling against the collar of Minhyun's sweater. Minhyun saw him inhale deeply before he sighed and stared at Minhyun's tense posture. "Come on. Give it a chance. For me?"

Jonghyun put on his best attempt at being cute— which was _very convincing,_ Minhyun had to admit. Not that he really had to try so hard; Minhyun knew he would just sigh and close his eyes as Jonghyun would do a little victory dance to once again rub it in Minhyun's face that he was right and that Minhyun would never be able to say no to him… all of which were true, by the way.

"We need to set rules," said Minhyun, somber and pouty.

Jonghyun perked up. "Numerous, of course."

"And we need a trial run."

"At least a month," Jonghyun said, earnest and thankful for the chance. "If it doesn't work out, we'll thank them and kick them right out."

Minhyun chuckled and looked away. "You're really sure you're willing to give up your space too?"

"I—" Jonghyun paused, not sure enough with his next few words. "I'll deal with it. We need this."

They both tried to make their home a safe space for both of them. Jonghyun didn't have to deal with the bullshit he lived with the moment he stepped out of their apartment, and Minhyun didn't have to put up a front just to fill the societal role that was expected of him. In their home, Minhyun could be Minhyun and Jonghyun could be Jonghyun. Letting in someone new, someone who might not care about the good thing that they've built in this home— that was a little terrifying, honestly.

"Thank you," said Jonghyun. He stood up and squeezed Minhyun's wrist. His hand was cold from the outdoors, but as Minhyun took his hand and smiled up at him, he felt a sudden spark of warmth spreading from that little touch. Suddenly, his senses were overwhelmed, starting with the scent of Minhyun that seemed to wrap all over him, reminding him of territory that he rarely ventured in.

Jonghyun took off the sweater and tossed it into Minhyun's pile of laundry. "I'll find someone reasonable, I promise."

"Thank you," Minhyun said this time. Before Jonghyun could go, Minhyun called out for him. Jonghyun raised an eyebrow. "I— as much as possible, let's look for a beta. For… harmonious purposes."

"Right." Jonghyun groaned. He forgot to take that into account; living with another omega would put Minhyun into a too difficult position, living with yet another alpha terrified Jonghyun, so a beta would be the best choice. Well, they would _feel_ _bad_ for affecting the poor person in the middle, but too many things could go wrong. A beta was safe for all parties— or at least just theirs.

"I'll try. Let's just… make this work, okay?" asked Jonghyun, tone on the verge of pleading.

Minhyun sighed and nodded. "For us," he said.

 _For you,_ he meant.

 

 

———

 

 

The next step was finding a suitable candidate that would fit all of Minhyun's—and Jonghyun's—meticulous checklists. Though it would have been easier to ask one of their friends to move in…

" _No_. Absolutely not," said Minhyun as Jonghyun attempted to suggest Dongho. Jonghyun dropped his chopsticks as he laughed, almost choking at how quickly Minhyun shot him down.

"Dongho would be _devastated_ if he heard that," Jonghyun said, but the guilt-tripping did nothing to faze Minhyun.

"Look, I love Dongho, but I'm pretty sure he'd agree." Minhyun placed his mug in the sink and started washing the dishes. "A man can only take so much nagging."

"Hear, hear," said Jonghyun, and he laughed again as Minhyun turned his head at a painful angle just to glare at him. "Okay, how about Minki? He's neat, nice enough. Probably."

"He, uh…" Minhyun rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know how to say it—"

_"Spill."_

"He sleeps around," Minhyun whispered, not that he needed to. It was common knowledge—all over the _campus,_ for goodness sake—but it wasn't like Minki was an asshole because of it. It just made him interesting, which was something their friend group _desperately needed._ "And since he's an alpha, he's probably moving into my room. I… don't want to wake up in the middle of the night to _that,_ Jonghyun."

Jonghyun laughed, though Minhyun instantly picked up on how his defensive scent unconsciously came out as Minhyun mentioned the thought of strangers in their apartment in the middle of the night. The two of them rarely invited people over; on the rare occasions that they did, their guests were usually just the same group of lame friends who already learned how to stop sneezing at their mixed scent.

"I guess I agree," said Jonghyun. Their shortlist was getting shorter and shorter. "What about A—"

"Aron's graduating soon. He'll probably want to move closer to the city when he finds a job there." Minhyun rubbed the back of his neck. "Do we… have other friends?"

Jonghyun blinked at him. "Shit."

Minhyun chuckled and turned off the faucet. "We'll have to resort to putting up ads."

"No!" Jonghyun groaned. "Only creeps go around and look for home ads on the internet."

It was Minhyun's turn to blink at him. "Jonghyun, I'm a marketing major. Online ads exist for a _reason_."

"Yeah, and that's for freaks to find their next target!" Jonghyun said, laughing at himself and at how ridiculous their situation was. "Please, I don't want the scent of a creep all over our furniture."

"I know, and I agree," said Minhyun, and his eyes met the hesitation in Jonghyun's. "Let's look for a mutual friend. I'm sure we'll find someone eventually."

Jonghyun nodded before dropping his head down on the table— though not without Minhyun quickly pulling his plate out of his head's landing point; damn idiot wasn't about to get rice in his hair _again._ He looked up at Minhyun, whining softly as Minhyun hesitated before running his fingers through Jonghyun's hair. "You tired?"

"Long day," mumbled Jonghyun. "It would have been longer if I still had that shitty job, but at least we wouldn't have this problem."

Minhyun sighed. "I told you, this wasn't your—"

"It was." Jonghyun squeezed Minhyun's hand before brushing it away. "It is, and I'm trying to fix it."

This was Jonghyun's bad habit: his overwhelming sense of responsibility always made him want to put himself at the center of all struggles instead of accepting help like a sane person would. Thanks to Minhyun's incredible patience and his insistence that Jonghyun shouldn't be allowed to implode because of his overthinking, Jonghyun was still alive. For the most part.

Minhyun could feel the stress emanating from Jonghyun's being all week, at least until Jonghyun crashed on the seat beside Minhyun in the library. Minhyun could smell the elation, feel the relief as Jonghyun clumsily sank into the chair. Minhyun waited for a second before putting his pen down and staring at Jonghyun expectantly. "Well?"

"So," Jonghyun took a deep breath, "I tried asking Hyunbin if he wanted to move in with us, but he just shuffled dorms so he's pretty settled where he is."

"Too bad," mumbled Minhyun. "I love bossing Hyunbin around."

Jonghyun chuckled and punched Minhyun's arm softly. "Ass. But anyway, he found us a homeless man!"

Minhyun paused and stared at Jonghyun. "I'm not meant to take that literally, right?"

" _Apparently,_ Hyunbin's friend's boyfriend's block mate's neighbor's best friend is studying here and is in need of shelter!" Jonghyun said in one breath, not even blinking as Minhyun stared him down.

Minhyun felt like a thousand words just passed straight in and out of his ears. "Wait— what— exactly who—"

"Oh, wait," Jonghyun stopped him, "I forgot that he was friends with Hyunbin. _That_ might have been a simpler way to say it." Jonghyun chuckled. "Look, here's his profile. Hyunbin said he's nice. I'll… take his word for it."

Minhyun took Jonghyun's phone and blinked at the name. "'Ong Seongwu,'" Minhyun read softly. "Have I heard of this guy?"

"Probably? Hyunbin knows him— well, he knows everybody." Minhyun nodded as he kept scrolling. Jonghyun leaned in, his chin almost resting on Minhyun's arm as they both went through Seongwu's profile. Handsome guy, sure. He was a theater major—Minhyun could already imagine having to go through this guy's lines with him and having to awkwardly act, _ugh_ —and he had really douchey pictures of himself in a club. Minhyun didn't need to know the context.

Minhyun raised the phone and glared at Jonghyun. "He looks like an asshat. Worse, a _fuckboy_."

Jonghyun snorted. "Okay, enough." He got his phone back from Minhyun and deleted his search history. "Don't be judgmental, Minhyun. I would have thought you were an ass if I judged you by your scent the moment you walked into our apartment."

"Someone's scent is one thing, but keeping photos online of your drunk self in a club sticking your tongue out at the camera is another," said Minhyun with amused eyes. The plea in Jonghyun's made him sigh and raise his hands in defeat. " _Fine,_ he gets a trial month."

"Thank you!" Jonghyun whispered as the librarian passed by them with a stern glare. Jonghyun hugged Minhyun by the shoulders, squeezed, and jumped back before Minhyun could even respond. Jonghyun's face was bright and blushing as he walked back, bowing and mouthing, _'Thank you!'_ as he skipped out of the library.

Minhyun dropped his head on the desk, groaning as his breaths blew some loose leaf off the edge. He felt like he and Jonghyun switched minds; this time, it was Jonghyun who seemed hopelessly optimistic about things while Minhyun was the one going through all the worst case scenarios. What if this Seongwu guy was _really_ an ass? What if he was a slob, worse than Jonghyun when he got obsessive over a video game for a month or something? And the worst problem: what if he was poorer than Minhyun and Jonghyun? That would be a _nightmare_.

Well, maybe it was time to get back into his usual headspace. Things would be _fine._ If they didn't work out, they had the right to kick him out after a month! Easy solution, no actual strings attached. Things would be… okay. Maybe. _Oh god, Jonghyun, please don't fuck up on this one._

 

 

———

 

 

"Tell me again, _why_ do I have to be here when the new guy arrives?" Minhyun crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned against the counter. Jonghyun was frantically spraying the house with neutralizers and groaning as he finished the third can. " _Please_ slow down; those are expensive."

"They're also necessary," mumbled Jonghyun. "I think you haven't been listening to me for the past week, but Seongwu's an alpha. Aggressive. Territorial." Jonghyun threw the can in the trash. "Annoying."

Minhyun narrowed his eyes at Jonghyun. "That is discriminatory speech—"

"I'm kidding!" said Jonghyun, taking a breath before checking his phone for any new messages. "Look, you need to establish your territory when he gets here. There's a new scent in our space, and we need to establish boundaries, mostly for you though."

"We're not _dogs,_ Jonghyun. We'll learn to get along." Minhyun appeared to be irritated, but he understood where Jonghyun was coming from. Minhyun was the dominant scent here, and it would be easier to assimilate Seongwu into their territory if Minhyun made his boundaries clear as soon as Seongwu arrived. Hell, they both needed to establish those right away. Jonghyun may not have had a dominant scent, but his space was clearly marked and respected by Minhyun. A new presence could mess that up.

"Also, can you please calm down? You used up all our neutralizers then continued to stink up the place with how nervous you are." Minhyun smiled and put his hands on Jonghyun's shoulders, squeezing slightly. "Please relax."

Jonghyun inhaled sharply, shoulders tense beneath Minhyun's fingers. "I'm trying," he hissed through his teeth. Slowly, he looked up into Minhyun's eyes. "I'm scared."

 _This_ was the response that Minhyun expected. Of course Jonghyun was just trying to seem composed, to act like this didn't bother him at all. Jonghyun, who approached the world with a smile despite all the thoughts deep in his mind. Jonghyun, who Minhyun repeatedly had to comfort after dealing with another asshole on the street who refused to leave him alone. Jonghyun, who always took responsibility for everything and now willingly made himself vulnerable just to make up for it. Jonghyun, who was unfortunately Minhyun's idiot of a roommate.

"Hey," Minhyun said, poking at Jonghyun's chest, "you realize this is the last time we'll be alone? As roommates?"

"You're right. I almost forgot about that." Minhyun took his hand from Jonghyun's chest then placed it on his shoulder, sliding it forward to pull Jonghyun into a hug. There was resistance, as always, but Minhyun felt how Jonghyun leaned forward then rested his chin on Minhyun's shoulder.

"You'll miss this," Minhyun said quietly, feeling the swell of Jonghyun's cheeks as he smiled and felt the hands snaking their way around Minhyun's waist to hug him back.

"Will I? Will I really?" Jonghyun teased, though there was no heat behind his words. They were content to just stand there, really, soaking up a moment that honestly didn't happen too often. Jonghyun started swaying slightly and Minhyun started humming that new song that Jonghyun really liked from the drama they were watching together.

It took a few more seconds before Jonghyun whispered, "I will, maybe a little," before pulling away. A small moment filled with little things. Out with the old, and in with the new.

Then there was a knock on the door. Minhyun could feel himself tensing up, but before he could walk forward to open the door for their new roommate, Jonghyun stopped him with a hand on his chest and a gentle push. "Let me mediate."

"Once again, we are _not_ dogs nor children," said Minhyun, but he conceded.

Jonghyun made a face as he unlocked the door. "Not sure about the latter, but— _hi._ "

Standing outside their front door was a tall guy with huge suitcases behind him, lean and handsome and… already sizing Minhyun up. The atmosphere made Jonghyun sigh. _What a waste of neutralizer spray._

"Hi, Jonghyun. Thanks for this." He looked at Minhyun and made a motion with his head. Minhyun noted how he wrinkled his nose for a split second before walking forward with Minhyun's small nod. "You must be Hwang Minhyun. I'm Ong Seongwu, your new roommate. Please take care of me well."

The formality was unnatural; Minhyun knew that much. He felt his shoulders tensing up as Seongwu took another step towards him to shake his hand. "I hope you know that—"

"— that we're _really_ glad you agreed to this," Jonghyun interrupted, already knowing that Minhyun's words would not have been a good idea for all of them, but mostly for Jonghyun who was already starting to feel suffocated with the quarrelling scents of the two alphas in the room. "Drop your bags in the room. Make yourself at home."

Minhyun stepped back and motioned towards his room— _their_ room from now on. It wasn't difficult to physically transition the room from sole ownership to undesired sharing; Minhyun's annoying neatness finally served a purpose. Still, Seongwu reeled back as he opened the door and was bombarded with Minhyun on every surface, almost repelling him from entering. Minhyun sighed as he helped Seongwu with the rest of his things and closed the door behind them.

"So—" Seongwu sat on his bed and stared up at Minhyun. "State your terms."

Minhyun cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm the new guy who's invading your space. I'm pretty sure this was Jonghyun's idea, not yours, so if you have anything you want to settle, I'll listen." Seongwu smiled at Minhyun's dumbstruck expression. "I'm not an ass, you know."

That immediately got Minhyun to drop his hostility. "I didn't mean to make you feel like—"

"Hey, no, I get it." Seongwu laughed at how Minhyun collapsed on his bed across Seongwu's, frustrated but amused. "I would probably react the same way you are if I were in your situation. We just can't help it."

This time, it was Minhyun's amused chuckle that caught Seongwu by surprise. "Alphas, am I right?"

"Assholes to the core; I'll drink to that," Seongwu mumbled with more laughter bubbling from his chest. It felt like a valve was turned and the pressure just leaked straight out of the room. Minhyun felt like he could breathe now. It was a good feeling.

"Really though," Seongwu said, "set your terms. I'd like to know if I'm walking on eggshells or not." He stretched his arms above his head, but his feet stayed firmly on the floor. Seongwu wasn't at home, and the prolonged silence from Minhyun wasn't helping that last bit of discomfort that clung to him.

Minhyun walked towards the closet and asked Seongwu to come closer. "Okay, fair warning, I like being neat."

"Believe it or not, I was already warned of this. Keep things on my side of the closet and fold them well?" said Seongwu, now yawning and leaning back on the frame of the bed. "I got it, Minhyun."

Minhyun crossed his arms in front of his chest again. "And what else did Jonghyun tell you?"

"Try not to litter my scent everywhere for the first few weeks, learn to ignore you when you start talking before going to bed— _his advice,_ please note—and keep hookups to a minimum." Seongwu paused. "Yeah, that's the gist of it. I can assure the first two, but the last?" He smiled. "I'll try."

Minhyun stared out into space for a good five seconds. At least Seongwu was self-aware and honest about it. "So you know what you need to know."

"Be honest with me," said Seongwu, eyes suddenly bright. "Jonghyun's too nice to be straight with me about how you two really feel about this situation."

"Honestly? I don't want another roommate. I hope I didn't make that too obvious." Seongwu shook his head with an odd smile, and Minhyun could at least count on his politeness. "This only happened because of people being assholes to Jonghyun, so maybe… don't be an ass? Especially to Jonghyun?"

Seongwu's expression was odd and even a bit mischievous. That should have been a red flag for Minhyun, an indicator of the weeks and months to come. "Is there something I was interrupting between you two…?"

Minhyun's eyes widened. "No. Absolutely nothing." The denial was easy for Minhyun; an alpha living with an unclaimed omega for so long tended to attract those kinds of questions.

"You sure? Is this why you two didn't want anyone in your little space?" Seongwu was smirking now, and Minhyun's low growl was the only thing that kept him from digging further. Seongwu was the type to dig, and he would dig _deep_ if he really wanted to; Minhyun deduced that as Seongwu raised his hands to concede to Minhyun for now, though the way he looked back and forth at Minhyun as he unpacked told Minhyun that this exchange was far from over.

Still, as Minhyun resisted the urge to babble and to interrogate before they slept, he got a text from Jonghyun in the other room. _"Everything okay?"_ Minhyun glanced up at Seongwu who was on his phone too, quietly watching a show with headphones on. He had been considerate all day, making sure to ask if things were okay before he did anything in Minhyun's— _their_ room. Minhyun watched him call his sister and talk about his day; Minhyun looked through his collection of books and discussed a few titles that they shared; Minhyun knew just a little bit about him. _"So far, so good,"_ he was able to say. He wasn't lying, but first impressions weren't always lasting.

 

 

———

 

 

Hyunbin blinked sleepily at Minhyun as he put his books down and ignored Minhyun's expectant stare. "Well?"

"Well what? You've been living with Seongwu for over a week and you still know nothing about him?" Hyunbin was honestly a little shocked. "Seongwu's… a really open book. I'm surprised you haven't gotten to know him instantly, especially knowing that you can't shut up either."

"I…" He had nothing to say to that. Was he _that_ repulsive?

"Can't blame you though. Living with a new alpha's difficult," said Hyunbin. He straightened up and checked the clock on his phone. "Okay, I have ten minutes. Shoot."

Well, what did Minhyun want to ask anyway? Over the past week, he did get to know his roommate a bit but only in the rare moments when they were both at home. Seongwu had less classes than Minhyun, sure, but he was apparently busy with an upcoming production— Minhyun, being the hermit that he was, never even heard of this.

"What do you mean you've never heard of _Spring Awakening?_ " Seongwu's eyes narrowed at Minhyun as Minhyun winced at him in the soft glow from his phone in the darkness. Seongwu came home late smelling of four other people, and Minhyun scrunched his nose until Seongwu finally tossed a pillow at his face. "It wouldn't be a surprise that I smell like this if you had at least known of it."

Minhyun calmly tossed the pillow back at him. "I know it exists, Seongwu; I just didn't know you were staging a production on it."

"I…" Seongwu sighed. "Okay, so our marketing needs work, huh?"

"Take it from someone majoring in that— if a homebody like me hasn't heard of it yet, you need to work harder," teased Minhyun. Seongwu groaned and left to take a shower, and as soon as he closed the door, Minhyun allowed himself to sneeze before spraying the room down with neutralizers. If Seongwu was going to come home like this all the time, Minhyun was going to have to get used to the headaches.

Those headaches came back in full force as Hyunbin detailed just how many mutual friends he and Seongwu had. "He oriented me as a freshman," Hyunbin explained when Minhyun asked him how he knew Seongwu. "You know, during the orientation that _you_ bailed out on."

"First of all, Jonghyun and I both caught the flu. We were too busy trying not to transmit the virus back and forth to each other for a whole week!" said Minhyun, laughing at how Hyunbin was still bitter about this. Hyunbin was assigned to Minhyun after he volunteered to join the welcoming committee, but honestly…?

"Don't lie; we all know you two just got lazy and decided to 'get sick' at the perfect time," Hyunbin said with the appropriate air quotes, perfectly timed to annoy Minhyun and cause him to throw a balled-up piece of paper at his head. "Back to Seongwu… he's smart when it comes to socializing. He has friends basically everywhere."

"Like you?" Minhyun laughed at Hyunbin's sheepish smile. "Hey, I'm grateful you found someone for us."

Hyunbin snorted. "Finding Seongwu was a stroke of luck. I was worried he wouldn't even last a day with you two."

Minhyun paused at his words. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you and Jonghyun are a bit of… an odd pair." Hyunbin shifted in his seat as Minhyun's expression changed from casual and teasing to a quiet seriousness that Hyunbin honestly hated having to deal with. "It's like you two have known each other forever. It's a little difficult to insert yourself in that relationship, especially in a… physical manifestation of it? There are times that you two smell of each other like _crazy,_ and it's off-putting for most people."

Minhyun rubbed the back of his neck. "Everyone knows we're not like that." But did they? Did they _really?_ Did Seongwu meet Jonghyun and smell traces of someone on him, then enter a space that seemed fully-occupied by two, leaving no space for an outsider like him? Was that why he barely even attempted to insert himself in the environment over the past week, or was Minhyun reading into this too deeply?

Their talk—or the thoughtful silence that appeared as a lull in the conversation—was disrupted by Hyunbin's head being lightly shoved forward. Hyunbin groaned and glared at the owner of the offending hand, but he and Minhyun were both shocked to see Seongwu standing over him, snickering into his scarf. "Hey, you," Seongwu seemed to have said to Minhyun.

Minhyun recalled the chart on their fridge with all their schedules; at first, it was a little weird to ask Seongwu to detail his everyday activities as soon as they met, but eventually, Seongwu understood that it was easier to know where they were expected to be instead of constantly guessing. "Don't you have a class right now?"

Seongwu seemed to be surprised that Minhyun would remember that. "Free cut," he said a little distantly. Was he uncomfortable with Minhyun knowing and caring? Did he still think that their system was weird and invasive and that Jonghyun and Minhyun were two peas in a pod that he shouldn't have touched, shouldn't have bothered with—

"Do you want to have dinner together later?" asked Seongwu, using his hand to block out Hyunbin's face from his line of sight. "I'd invite you too, Hyunbin, but I refuse to pay for you for the tenth time in a row."

Hyunbin pouted. "But Seongwu, I'm your charge! You need to take care of me!"

"Yeah, that was back when you were a freshman. I _had_ to be nice. Besides," Seongwu knocked against Hyunbin's skull, "you're not my kid. Go away."

Minhyun snorted at this exchange. "I might like this side of you, Seongwu."

"I took the liberty of interpreting, 'don't be an ass,' to not include Hyunbin." Seongwu grinned, Hyunbin whined, and all was well, for a little while.

Things changed when Hyunbin had to go and Seongwu and Minhyun were left alone, wandering the streets to find a place to eat. They faced awkward, bumbling steps against the pavement, cold but unwilling to huddle closer to share body heat. Seongwu didn't have the warmth that Minhyun was looking for, and Minhyun wasn't the most welcoming human heater that Seongwu encountered. He was more likely to find that in a stranger whose eyes he just met instead of the guy who he had been sharing a room with for the past week.

Minhyun eyed Seongwu's glass cautiously over the night, not liking how quickly its contents vanished before it was replaced, almost as if it had never budged. Seongwu was still bright though, still attempting to engage Minhyun and attempting to respond to whatever conversation Minhyun tried to offer him.

"So," Minhyun started, albeit awkwardly, "is everything settled with your things?"

"Yeah, actually," said Seongwu. His sister took her time in dropping off Seongwu's boxes at the apartment. Minhyun briefly recalled Seongwu whining at someone by the front door and a hand reaching over to pinch his ear until he finally shut up. It was kind of cute, and it gave a little explanation as to why Seongwu pouted so damn much.

In all honesty, the entire thing was Jonghyun's idea— the thing being Seongwu taking his time in moving in. Said it was better for all of them if Seongwu was introduced to their space slowly. Even staying away from the apartment for most of the day was his idea; Jonghyun must have read something about introducing pets to each other because he was _really_ taking this initiation seriously.

… not that it helped. Was it really supposed to be _this_ awkward? Honestly, Seongwu was a friendly guy. He knew that in himself; the reason he got this roommate position was because of that, but… it was like Minhyun was purposely shutting him out or shutting himself up. Seongwu felt like he was talking to a wall.

Then he was talking to no one. Minhyun was on the phone, back towards him, whispering frantically at someone on the other end. Seongwu raised an eyebrow; was he calling for help? Asking for backup, like Seongwu was a bad date he wanted to get out of?

When Jonghyun walked into the restaurant a few minutes later, awkwardly walking towards their table, Seongwu got his answer. So Minhyun _did_ request for a buffer, anyone who was willing to mediate whatever this dinner was supposed to be— a treaty signing? A peace offering? A business meeting? Was Seongwu starting to get tipsy at a formal event?

"Hey there," greeted Jonghyun, though his steps faltered as they both levelled their gazes on him. Seongwu was a little confused but welcoming nonetheless. When he darted his eyes towards Minhyun, all he could see was a relieved smile… and maybe a little genuine joy at seeing Jonghyun. "I hope you don't mind if I join dinner?"

Minhyun pulled up an extra chair. "As long as you pa—"

"Yes, you cheapskate," Jonghyun mumbled. He opened up the menu and moaned at all the choices. "Ugh, we've been eating convenience store meals for the past two weeks. It's nice to taste something other than preservatives."

"Well, we wouldn't be eating microwaved preservatives if _someone here_ learned how to cook—" Minhyun raised a hand before Jonghyun could get a word out, "—anything other than noodles, which are _still_ awfully unhealthy."

"Seongwu," Jonghyun suddenly called out, "can you cook?" Seongwu couldn't answer that straight and he made it clearly vague through his face. Jonghyun laughed and rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as an, 'if needed, yes.' You're assigned to dinner duty."

Seongwu suddenly felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. "But… there's never anything in the cupboards…"

"Dinner duty didn't exist until someone who could cook more than the basic stuff moved into the house." Minhyun and Jonghyun both laughed, and Seongwu joined in with the exasperation. _Wow_. This was truly rock bottom when it came to university life, huh?

"Okay, I'll go order for myself," said Jonghyun, and he _unfortunately_ left the two of them alone again. Seongwu resisted the urge to check his phone or to ask for another drink. The former was a little rude and was the loser's way out of this situation; the latter was a bad mistake waiting to be made and also the final blow to his wallet. He wasn't about to walk home even poorer than ever.

Instead, he observed. What he saw was his typically stoic roommate staring at someone in the distance, someone who Seongwu didn't have to turn to for him to know who it was. "So," said Seongwu, startling Minhyun in a way that seemed to only piss him off further, as if Seongwu were disrupting something important, "you and Jonghyun."

"Roommates for almost two years, yes?" Seongwu knew that Minhyun knew where he was going with this, but the easiest way to get through this kind of conversation was by feigning ignorance; Seongwu knew that too.

"Are you sure you two aren't…?" Seongwu raised an eyebrow, and that was Minhyun's cue to awkwardly jump up and shake his head. _Clearly,_ Minhyun was a bad actor, but maybe Seongwu was being an asshole theater major if he commented on that. Minhyun's eyes were shaking now, and any attempt to make eye contact was foiled by his complete refusal to even look at Seongwu's direction. "You two are— I can't even describe it."

"Friends? People who learned how to put up with each other?" Minhyun's awkward laughter was loud even in the full bistro. Seongwu bristled at that; what was this guy trying to hide?

"Are you sure?" asked Seongwu. The invitation to prod was given to him, offered between Minhyun's avoidant eyes and the way the atmosphere shifted the moment Jonghyun walked into the room.

Something changed as Minhyun heard Seongwu's tone. "I mean, there were— we never got far—" Minhyun shook his head. He sat up and folded his hands together and met Seongwu's gaze. "Don't… get any ideas. Or take that as an invitation to hit on him or something." Minhyun's fingers tensed on the table, and his eyes darted up to check on Jonghyun. _Still waiting in line, good._

Unfortunately for Minhyun, his roommate wasn't a pushover. In fact, the alcohol from earlier made him ready to push, to prod, to tease until Minhyun's feathers were ruffled enough. "I never had any plans, but if it happens," Seongwu's voice was dangerously low, like he was dropping the gauntlet, "it happens."

Minhyun grit his teeth. He didn't want— no, he _refused_ to take the bait. There was something unnaturally sadistic about Seongwu's eyes at the moment, and it unnerved Minhyun because he didn't want to have to deal with this. He hated this feeling, hated how his thoughts and his imagination and his stupid misplaced protectiveness and his refusal to back down made his scent flare up, like a beacon screaming, _'Hey! I'm unnecessarily pissed off right now!'_

It took Jonghyun two more minutes before he came back from the counter with a tray full of fries—an _awful_ choice, by the way—and with hesitant steps that were even more careful than before. "Mmm, this is to share," Jonghyun said, attempting to ignore whatever he was feeling around the table. Minhyun's hands were still there, still on the path to forming a fist though he didn't know if he was capable of swinging it.

"Come on, let's eat!" Jonghyun winced as his words bounced back at him with no response. Seongwu tried to ease up, really, but Minhyun was still coming after him, eyes locked more intensely than they would be if they were engaged in the deepest conversation. As much as he hated it, _really hated it,_ Seongwu would not and could not back down.

Jonghyun groaned. _This is going to be a long night,_ Minhyun could imagine him saying. He wouldn't actually know; it wasn't like there was something _special_ between them anyway.

"What did you do?" Jonghyun whispered as they walked behind Seongwu on the way to the train station. Minhyun avoided his eyes, how they pried and accused Minhyun so easily. Not like Jonghyun didn't have a reason to; Minhyun was sure that he could sense that pointless little spat all the way from the queue in front of the counter.

"Absolutely nothing, Jonghyun." In the way his jaw faced Jonghyun, he was hoping that Jonghyun would get the clue and leave him alone about it. Fortunately for him—and for the first time today—Jonghyun backed off for once, allowing the silence to envelop the three of them as they walked.

Seongwu hated it. He didn't know why he had to be put here, why the casual banter of the two was so quickly stunted whenever he was around. It stopped him from ever developing any sense of comfort in a place that was supposed to be his home now. Maybe he should have just stayed with his sister— _no,_ that wasn't going to work out for long. This was better. Minutely.

Seongwu felt himself deflate when he heard Jonghyun whisper something to Minhyun from behind him: _"One month. Just a month."_

 _Right,_ Seongwu was on a trial period. An assessment before he was regularized into their space. So far, he was failing on all aspects except neatness, probably.

Minhyun was more quiet than usual that night. They danced around each other, walking in circles all around the apartment to avoid each other's eyes. They faced each other only once, when they both got up to turn off the lights and Seongwu quickly reached out and flicked the switch, an almost triumphant and definitely stupid smirk on his face. The apathy on Minhyun's was discouraging, though perhaps discouraging this silent "competition" was a good idea.

Unfortunately for them both, it seemed like neither was willing to back out or back down. _So it shall be,_ thought Seongwu as he lied in bed and wished that he could fall asleep. Something was simmering under his skin, warm and irritating and somehow smelling of cut grass that was emanating from the bed across his.

It kept him up, kept him thinking. Where was he going to go after this blew up in his face? Speaking of his face, was he ready to get into a fist fight with Minhyun? Was he likely to win? _Probably not,_ but he was hoping that things wouldn't reach that point.

Damn it, he needed to cool down somewhere else, somewhere safer than a room he was intruding in. Seongwu got up and put on a sweater, walking out into the kitchen to get a glass of water for himself.

He almost tossed the mug—it was very much _not_ a good idea to be throwing glassware around in the middle of the night, especially when he was still on probation—when he heard something shifting and someone lightly cursing in the dark behind him. It was Jonghyun, wincing as he stubbed his toe on the dining table, and he raised his arms slowly when he felt Seongwu's aggression. "Relax," he said, voice deeper and softer than Seongwu expected.

"What are you doing up?" asked Seongwu. It was late; he probably just got up out of nowhere too.

Jonghyun shrugged. "I don't know," he said. With a sleepy smile, he asked for a glass too. "I take it you haven't slept at all?"

"More or less nothing, yeah." Seongwu chuckled without mirth. He didn't want to seem so negative, so difficult, but it wasn't like the atmosphere was making things easy for him.

Unlike Minhyun, Jonghyun actually seemed to be sensitive to that and he was more likely to care. "I don't—" Jonghyun stopped abruptly, sighing as he struggled to find any words. "I don't know what Minhyun did this time, but I'm sorry," he said with a slight laugh.

"That's… honestly, I expected that." When Seongwu first met Jonghyun, he instantly knew that apologizing was a habit of his. He apologized for being a little too early, for choosing a café that was far from Seongwu's last class, for not being able to give Seongwu a tour of the apartment and only having pictures, for not having a separate room for him and only having a spare bed, for having to live with another alpha in his room— and so much more. Apologizing was second nature to Jonghyun, and Seongwu didn't know if that was connected to him being an omega living with such an asshole of an alpha.

"Really, huh? Sorry— ah, I should quit that." They both laughed a little, and Jonghyun's voice cracked a bit as he was still rousing from light sleep. He sat up on the counter and sighed. His face was illuminated only by the light from the fridge, but even with only that, Seongwu could see his apprehension before he started speaking again.

"I'm sorry for not being as welcoming as we should be. It's, um, not easy to ask people to join into our circle and our lives out of nowhere, and I know it's not easy to be the person adjusting to that," he said. "I never told you why we suddenly started looking for a new roommate, right?"

"You promised you would." Seongwu was naturally curious— _nosy_ in Jaehwan's words—and Jonghyun just darted his eyes and avoided the topic, glad that they weren't close enough for Seongwu to employ his persistence in getting an answer out of Jonghyun. "I'm sure it's not because you two needed to spice up your life at home."

"Definitely not, no." Jonghyun chuckled, and Seongwu felt a little relieved that he responded well to Seongwu trying to lighten the atmosphere. It helped that _someone_ in this household appreciated Seongwu's attempts to engage them in any sort of positive interaction.

"Minhyun and I, we work several jobs because we don't want our parents to pay for anything after getting us this apartment in the first place. It's not easy—it hasn't ever been—but we were doing fine until I lost my job last month. I, uh, got into a physical altercation with my boss." Seongwu blinked at his over-diplomatic wording, and Jonghyun rolled his eyes as he put his glass down on the counter beside him. "My boss was harassing me, and I got pissed so I punched him in the face and got fired."

Seongwu blinked again before laughing, a loud bark that resounded throughout the apartment. His hand shot up to cover his mouth, but the sudden outburst was enough to make Jonghyun break into a fit of giggles. _Cute._ "Ugh, I still can't believe I did that," said Jonghyun.

"And here I was, thinking if I could win in a fist fight against Minhyun when the real guy I should be worrying about was you." Seongwu laughed into his hands, and his smiling eyes met Jonghyun's through the spaces between his fingers. "I'm proud of you, by the way."

"Me too, actually." Jonghyun rubbed the back of his neck and wheezed until he finally calmed down. "Anyway, it's not easy to just look for another job, so finding another roommate didn't seem so bad. It was my idea."

"I take it you took responsibility for everything?" Seongwu's smile was crooked, almost as if he knew Jonghyun too well already. The sheepish smile was enough of an answer. This guy… was too nice. It was almost painful to watch; Seongwu wanted to pad him up and protect him from the world. "You don't have to, you know. It wasn't your fault."

"Not entirely, sure, but I could have handled it better," said Jonghyun. Suddenly his eyes brightened, and Seongwu held back the breath he wanted to release. "You know, Minhyun said something like that to me before. I think… you two are actually a lot more similar than you'd think."

Seongwu really couldn't see it, but he was willing to indulge Jonghyun for now. "Am I really that annoying?"

"Yes." Jonghyun's point-blank agreement made Seongwu laugh again, and when he finally calmed down, he saw the eagerness in Jonghyun's bright eyes, still clear despite the sleepiness attempting to fog over it. "I know we haven't been the best roommates this past week, but please give it some time. Minhyun… needs time to adjust. You'll need time to adjust to him too. Hell, it took me a while to even genuinely like him." He paused, leaning forward and lowering his voice. "You want to know a secret?"

Seongwu shrugged. "Sure," he said, playing along.

"I think I liked you more in this first week than I liked him in our first semester together." Jonghyun chuckled. "Really. The fact that I'm living with two of the same person is _really_ stressful," he hopped off the counter, took his glass, and walked towards Seongwu, "but I think I'll like it. Eventually." He put his glass in the sink and placed his hand on Seongwu's shoulder, squeezing lightly. "I think you will too."

There was a question on the tip of Seongwu's tongue, something that he didn't know if he could ask. "You— you and Minhyun."

"Yeah? What about us?" Jonghyun's voice was getting deeper with grogginess.

"I asked him the same thing, you know," said Seongwu. Even Jonghyun wasn't stupid enough to not know what Seongwu was trying to say, and he replied with a deep sigh.

"What did Minhyun say then?"

Seongwu shrugged. "A bunch of overly-diplomatic answers, obviously."

"Well," Jonghyun chuckled, "that is the answer. There's nothing to be said." Jonghyun dropped his hand from Seongwu's shoulder and rested it on the counter, just barely brushing Seongwu's fingers. "I think people tend to interpret our relationship weirdly because of how we just… are. We're two very different people who live together. Minhyun has his playful side and I tend to shy away from that, and everyone else thinks we're dancing around each other."

Seongwu was shocked at the honesty. "Are you though? Dancing around each other, I mean," Seongwu asked.

"No," Jonghyun answered a little too easily. "We just live together and know each other too well and always take care of each other. And we're best friends." Jonghyun released his breath slowly, buying time for himself to find the right words. "Some people think we're weird and that there has to be something else going on if we're like this, but… this is just what _normal_ is for us."

Seongwu tried to listen, but he was more focused on the softness in Jonghyun's eyes as he talked about Minhyun. Was it… fondness? Or just familiarity? Seongwu saw that look before—many times actually—but he saw it most in his parents, in the way they put up with each other after all this time and still had that same gentleness that brought youth back into their features. "You're like… an old, married couple then," Seongwu couldn't resist saying.

Jonghyun chuckled and shook his head. " _Fine,_ see it that way. But really, there's nothing between me and Minhyun. Take it from me, and _drop it_." He sighed and leaned forward with his head bowed down. Seongwu resisted the urge to step forward and let Jonghyun lean his forehead on his shoulder, making Jonghyun feel even smaller than he already looked.

He looked up at Seongwu again. The smile on his face was soft, sleepy, but warm and welcoming. Seongwu felt that, especially in the small patch of skin where Jonghyun's thumb rested. Jonghyun whispered a soft, "Good night," before walking back to his room and leaving Seongwu there, alone to process how he easily felt himself melting and smiling back at Jonghyun.

He slapped his cheeks and sighed. He needed to go to bed and at least attempt to forget the temptation to lean into Jonghyun's touch and inhale his scent, sweet and calming despite the uncertainty of Seongwu's disposition at the moment. Maybe he would stay, see how it played out according to Jonghyun and his whims. He could try for a little longer, maybe.

 

 

———

 

 

Breaking the ice took more than just effort; it took… a _lot_ of effort, and at the moment, neither of the affected parties was willing to exert any more effort than they did as they attempted to not deck each other the moment they got on each other's nerves. The case of Hwang Minhyun and Ong Seongwu's inability to get along was a most peculiar case, and they were getting sick of it. Naturally.

When Minhyun stumbled across Seongwu walking out of the campus theater with three huge bags on his arms being dragged down the steps, he thought of maybe just… walking a _little_ faster, but then he _swore_ he saw Jonghyun's face of disappointment shining down at him from the heavens. He sighed and walked to stand in front of Seongwu at the bottom of the steps. "Need help?" he said, blankly meeting the gratitude on Seongwu's face.

The walk to the bus station was quiet, as expected, and Minhyun decided for both of them that peaceful— _awkward_ —silence was best for them even as they sat beside each other with paper bags overflowing with clothes squishing them together. Minhyun assumed that they were for Seongwu's upcoming production, and he knew that it was close because he actually started seeing more posters of it. So Seongwu did listen to his suggestion about their shitty promotions. That's nice.

Day 1 of their awkward bus ride ended with a sleepy Jonghyun greeting them from his nap on the dining table. He wiped the drool from his mouth and from the textbook he was using as a pillow and stared at the two of them as he yawned. "Why are you two together?" he mumbled.

"Helped him out," Minhyun grumbled as he put the bags down with a huff. "God, those are heavy. You're bringing that to rehearsals again tomorrow?"

"You said it." Seongwu collapsed on the chair beside Jonghyun. The table shook with his movement, and Jonghyun tried to hit his head with his palm from his napping position. Seongwu batted back at his hand, and they bickered silently as they held back their laughter and the blows that they wanted to throw.

Minhyun watched them as he stood by the fridge. There was something strange stirring in his stomach as he watched them interact like that, as Seongwu finally got his hand on Jonghyun's head and Jonghyun just hummed as Seongwu's touch helped him fall back to sleep. In a week and a half, Jonghyun and Seongwu were already comfortable with each other; meanwhile, the nicest thing Minhyun's done for Seongwu so far was to not ignore his existence.

Right now though, Minhyun was going to do _just that._ Weird feelings aside, it was nice that Jonghyun was able to get through to Seongwu, or the other way around since Jonghyun wasn't always sunshine and butterflies anyway. Maybe the reason why Minhyun's skin was crawling was because of how _easy_ it was for Seongwu to make Jonghyun trust him with physical affection. Minhyun could almost smell Jonghyun preening as Seongwu graced him with his attention, and it made Minhyun sick.

 _Don't mind it, Minhyun,_ he told himself. _Just be cool._

Day 2 was a surprise, but Minhyun checked his clock and saw that Seongwu's rehearsals were apparently ending at the same time from yesterday. He needed to add that to their fridge schedule. Luckily this time, Seongwu didn't have anything in his arms, so they took to silently walking to the bus stop and sitting beside each other in companionable silence and enough space to breathe, unlike yesterday.

"Where's Jonghyun?" asked Seongwu as he locked the front door.

Minhyun checked his phone then checked the fridge. "Hmm, shift at the chicken place until eight. You need something from him?"

"I promised him I'd borrow a game from Daniel that he wanted." Seongwu pulled the box from his bag. "I'll just leave it in his room."

Minhyun made a choked sound as Seongwu's hand landed on the doorknob. "Don't— he doesn't like it when people go in his room."

"I'm just going to leave something for him," Seongwu said cautiously. "And it's not like I haven't been inside before, geez."

Seongwu cocked an eyebrow at Minhyun before going in and out as quickly as he could to appease him. In Minhyun's defense, Jonghyun _did_ hate it when other people went inside his room, especially without his permission. Seongwu, however, didn't seem to care, and it didn't occur to Minhyun that maybe Jonghyun didn't mind Seongwu in general. Maybe their relationship seemed so sudden to Minhyun because _his_ relationship with Seongwu wasn't; maybe he was frustrated with how quickly they got along because Minhyun still couldn't decode Seongwu.

"Maybe it's because you don't need to decode a _person,_ Minhyun. Not everyone's a robot like you," Jonghyun said quietly as he sat down with his back on Minhyun's side. He tossed his apron at the side and ignored Minhyun's growl at the mess. "I'll pick it up later, okay?" Minhyun's silent seething was only emphasized by how he threw off the most repulsive scent, one that made Jonghyun stand up and groan as he picked up the apron and flicked his middle finger at Minhyun.

Day 3 was— wait, how the hell had they not realized that their schedules coincided like this for the past week and a half that they had been living together? Seongwu stared at Minhyun from the top of the stairs with helplessness in his eyes, and Minhyun didn't understand until he saw _five_ bags of costumes and props lying by Seongwu's feet.

"No fucking way," Minhyun said as he made the trek up to Seongwu.

"Yes fucking way. I have to drop three bags at the seamstress so she could fix all the uniforms with logos that were _entirely wrong,_ while the two bags of props are going home with us." Seongwu's smile was pained. "Let's go."

Today was different, marked by the sudden overflow of Seongwu's complaints over his theater troupe and Minhyun's unhelpful side comments. "Why are you even doing all of this?" asked Minhyun as he tried to lift the bag that was on his lap but failed and wheezed instead. "These are worse than the weights I lift."

"Glad to see you're getting some workout from this while I'm just developing early onset hypertension," Seongwu grumbled. "The dumbass in charge—that might actually be an accurate title—didn't quality check the thing and just brought it over. I'm taking care of it because _no one trusts the dumbass anymore._ "

"Wise decision," said Minhyun.

"Very wise! Also if I want to be head bitch in charge next year," Seongwu sighed, but he smiled when he saw Minhyun's look of understanding, "I have to keep this production from falling apart."

"It's so difficult to be over competent, huh?" Minhyun teased.

"You said it." Seongwu snorted and crossed his arms in front of his chest— or at least tried to, given that two bags were stacked on his lap. "You realize that no matter what you say and how you say it, I'll find a way to take it as a compliment, right?"

"I'm starting to get that idea," said Minhyun, and somehow it was easy for the two of them to sit there and laugh, for Minhyun to let his guard down for two seconds to see that _oh,_ Seongwu _was_ a person and he _wasn't_ the type who needed to be broken down and pieced together; that _oh,_ maybe this was all Minhyun's fault in the first place.

Still, day 3 was just the start of a whole week of complaining and whining, things that Minhyun realized Seongwu liked doing. Minhyun didn't find it annoying, surprisingly; it showed him that Seongwu cared and that he wanted things to be better. He had this strange drive that made him stick to things even if they weren't promising, and Minhyun could empathize.

Somehow, Seongwu was starting to understand why Jonghyun said he and Minhyun were similar. He still couldn't find a way to excuse Minhyun's initial coldness to him, but over the past few days, they had at least talked more or talked _a lot._ Minhyun's laugh was elusive for the first week, but now it was a daily presence in Seongwu's life, like something annoying blaring in his ears whenever he said something slightly funny. It was nice when it started out small, almost shy, but then it became _that,_ and as much as Seongwu wanted to complain, he was grateful for a chance.

He was starting to understand Minhyun. That was nice.

What he _couldn't_ fully grasp was whatever Minhyun and Jonghyun were to each other. In the middle of breakfast, Minhyun peeled off his sweater and tossed it at Jonghyun who was just trying to go out to buy butter. Jonghyun groaned as he caught it with his face. "What the hell—"

 _"Jonghyun,"_ said Minhyun, a low growl in his throat, "just take it." Jonghyun attempted to argue against it, but Minhyun's frustration made his scent flare up even more, and Seongwu sneezed as he felt it clinging to his skin. Jonghyun felt that and rolled his eyes before tying the sweater around his waist and grumbling all the way to the front door and probably until he got to the store.

Minhyun sighed and rubbed his face until he was fully awake. "Sorry about that. Jonghyun never listens."

"I see," said Seongwu, a questioning stare levelled at Minhyun.

"I just do this to make sure no one bothers him whenever he's out alone," Minhyun grumbled, poking at his eggs. "Am I being unreasonable? Or a bad friend?"

"You're doing great, sweetie," Seongwu said blankly, receiving a heated stare in response. "Okay I'll be serious! You're a little… overbearing, maybe?"

" _'Overbearing?'_ I'm—" Minhyun paused, probably recalling his every moment with Jonghyun for the past two years, and then he came back with a furrow in his brows and determination in the line of his lips. "I'm just trying to protect him—"

"Maybe he doesn't want to be protected," said Seongwu, and though he knew that it would only lead to Minhyun giving him a blank stare and challenging him with his alpha scent. Seongwu wasn't about to back down, not when he knew that he wasn't wrong. "Really, Minhyun. You mean well—we all know that—but it's _weird._ You're practically saying that you want to mark him just to prevent anyone else from even coming close to him. It's… too possessive."

"I'm… possessive?" Minhyun didn't know how to respond to that. He always thought of himself as just _reasonably_ protective, at least to someone who was unlikely to protect himself from all those assholes— then again, being able to punch his boss in the face was a pretty big achievement.

Minhyun snapped out of his thoughts, but not quickly enough to make it seem like Seongwu's words didn't get to him. "And it's not weird. I'm not—"

"Look, just admit that you want to claim him," Seongwu said nonchalantly. He stood up and started washing his plate in the sink, ignoring how he could sense Minhyun's fuming from three feet away. "I can't blame you, but if you have the hots for your roommate—"

"I don't."

Seongwu snorted. "Yeah _sure,_ like anyone will believe that with how you act around Jonghyun." He turned his head slightly and whipped it right back when he saw how Minhyun's fists were clenched over his lap. "I get it, Minhyun. My moving in shifted things around and now he's not all yours. But here's the thing," Seongwu turned off the faucet and turned to face Minhyun, "he's not yours. _At all_."

Minhyun gaped at him. Seongwu didn't wait for him to respond. "You don't discriminate against him because he's an omega, but you keep reminding him of how shitty it is to live as one with all these little things you think you're doing for _him_ when it's actually for _you._ You try to protect him when he doesn't want to be protected. He doesn't need an 'ally;' he needs a friend. It's suffocating from where I'm standing, so I can't imagine what it would feel like on his end."

Minhyun was silent; Seongwu knew that this was the _deadly_ sort of silence. He wanted to poke even more, to prod at Minhyun and his fragility when it came to Jonghyun. Did it hurt to have the truth spoken to him? Or was he completely unaware of how smothering he was, of how it looked from any other perspective than his?

They didn't talk, and Seongwu almost regretted his moment of brutal honesty after building a relationship with Minhyun over the past week. Still, it needed to be said; it was just unfortunate that it came after making so much—so _little_ —progress.

Jonghyun came home a few minutes later with a cloud over his head and with no sweater around his waist. Minhyun pouted. "Where's my—"

"I threw it at some dude who tried to mug me," Jonghyun grumbled. He paused and sniffed the air before sneezing and looking for a scent neutralizer in the cupboards. Seongwu noticed his height struggle and laughed as he got it from the highest shelf. Jonghyun snatched it out of his hands and furiously sprayed all around the apartment. "What the hell happened here? This place is so damn stuffy."

"You're not helping either, Jonghyun," said Seongwu, and he snatched the can from Jonghyun and covered him with the stuff. Jonghyun coughed and batted at his hand until Seongwu laughed and tossed the now-empty can in the trash. "There you go, all cleaned up."

"Thanks, asshole." Seongwu's eyes widened and he backed off as Jonghyun snapped at him. Minhyun watched them from his perch on the couch, completely unrelenting in his mission to remain as stoic as possible. The spray didn't help; there was still something about the atmosphere in the room, specifically between the two alphas. Jonghyun groaned. "Can you two get your shit together and try to make living together more bearable for _me?_ "

Seongwu laughed and leaned on the countertop. His eyes met Minhyun's, and they were both reminded of Seongwu's words just a few minutes prior. "Damn, Jonghyun. Okay, we get it. You're the real head alpha in this house."

Jonghyun snorted and attempted to hit Seongwu's arm, but the sneaky ass feigned pain before Jonghyun's fist even made contact. They were laughing, but silence fell upon them when Minhyun got up from the couch and mumbled an amused, "Hear, hear," before vanishing into their bedroom. Jonghyun looked at Seongwu with confusion and received a shrug in response. He wasn't about to figure out what _that_ was all about.

Luckily for Jonghyun and perhaps unfortunately for Seongwu, they had their hands full with some guests before the situation could find the time to escalate. Minki—as Jonghyun helpfully yelled out—barged in as soon as Seongwu opened the door for them, while the other two walked in with laughter and amused exasperation. Seongwu stood by the doorway, watching as the three strangers settled on the couches without even giving him a second glance.

One of them started beckoning Seongwu to come closer without even looking back at him. "Hey, Minhyun. Why are you just standing there?"

Seongwu blinked. _Was he talking to me?_ "Uh, I'm not—"

"The hell are you talking about, Dongho," Minhyun mumbled as he came from his room and hit the head of the Dongho guy who apparently thought Seongwu was Minhyun. The three looked back at him and shared a simultaneous, _"Oh,"_ as they recognized the third party in the room.

"Is this the new guy?" asked Minki. "I knew something smelled weird about your apartment."

"It's not weird; it's just new. Which isn't something we're used to when it comes to these two losers," the other mumbled. "I'm Aron, by the way."

Seongwu finally managed to walk over and shake his hand. The other two introduced themselves properly, but Seongwu still felt uncomfortable as he stepped back and watched the five of them interact. "So… you're Minhyun and Jonghyun's other friends, huh? I was starting to think they just lived like hermits."

"Hermits stick together, am I right?" Jonghyun asked with a shaky laugh, but the rest of them stared blankly at him.

"I have friends!" Aron said indignantly.

"So do I!" said Minki.

Dongho sighed. "I… I'll shut up now."

That was the extent of Seongwu's attempts to engage with the crowd. They were going on about Dongho's car and going on a trip somewhere, and Seongwu just tuned out, choosing to focus on cleaning the kitchen and finding a way to hide in their room without anyone noticing. Something felt strange about the atmosphere in their apartment again, and it wasn't just because of all the unfamiliar scents that were invading his senses. It was because those scents had been lingering at the edges for the entire time that he was here, and he didn't know whose they were and why they were here in the first place.

Now that he was meeting Jonghyun and Minhyun's friends, he understood. He felt how they fell into familiar bickering and positioned themselves on familiar surfaces that welcomed them like they were waiting for their master to return. Seongwu could see it now: a group of friends who treated this place like their own home, and Seongwu just standing there.

Maybe he was being overdramatic—he was a theater major; could he be blamed?—but he was just reminded of how much more distance he had to cover when it came to really making himself feel at home here. He didn't _have_ to, really, but he might have wanted it as he listened to their laughter and longed for acceptance— not from all of them, but maybe just _two_ would be nice.

"Hey," Minki said as Seongwu passed at the back in an attempt to slip away silently, "how much are you willing to bet that Minhyun will never send his piece in for that literary portfolio?"

Seongwu paused, glanced down at Minhyun who was still refusing to look at him, and shrugged. "A lot of money, actually. He's a chicken."

"Hey!" Minhyun raised a peanut to throw at him but stopped when he realized that he would have to clean that up. He settled with a glare, one that was directed to all of them as they chorused in with Minki's laughter.

Jonghyun stood beside Seongwu and beamed up at him. "Thanks for taking my side. I can't believe _any_ of you would think that highly of Minhyun."

Minhyun gaped at him helplessly. "Is _no one_ going to defend my honor? I will _totally_ submit that damn piece!"

"I, for one, believe in you with all my heart, Minhyun," Aron said with as much sincerity as he could, though he couldn't help his face from contorting to hold back his laughter.

Dongho sighed. "If I have to, I guess…"

"I—" Minhyun ran his hand through his hair, both in frustration and in amusement. "I can't believe you would all betray me like this."

Seongwu snorted. "Hey, keep that up, and I might recruit you to the drama club," he teased, and Jonghyun squeezed his arm as they all laughed with him, including Minhyun. _Oh._ That was a nice feeling.

The conversation went on from there, but this time, it was a lot easier for Seongwu to follow, to read the mood, and to figure out how the dynamic of the five in front of him worked. Their banter was easy, their jokes were light but numerous, and Seongwu even found himself in the middle of a barrage of teasing, mostly headed by Jonghyun who he had an arm around as he attempted to stop him from spilling any of the stupid things he witnessed Seongwu doing over the past two weeks.

"Please stop, please!" Seongwu begged with both his arms hugging Jonghyun's narrow shoulders. He was rocking them side to side as Jonghyun laughed and huffed and tried to stop Seongwu from shutting him up by literally covering his mouth. Jonghyun's bony elbow met Seongwu's ribs, and Seongwu choked on air as he backed off with a pathetic pout and an apologetic Jonghyun who was trailing after him.

Minhyun watched the exchange, corner of his lip twitching as he saw Seongwu's hand tighten around Jonghyun's shoulder as they settled back down. Jonghyun seemed completely comfortable in Seongwu's presence, not at all treating him with the hesitation and distance that Minhyun initially expected. Even with physical touch, which Minhyun was still sometimes cautious of, Seongwu seemed to have Jonghyun wrapped around his finger— or maybe the other way around. Probably.

"Are you guys hungry? I could go out and buy something for lunch," said Jonghyun, mentally checking his bank account. The chorus of agreement made him sigh. "Fine. Is anyone kind enough to split with me?"

"I will," said Seongwu, "though I have to go already. Apparently I forgot I had rehearsals in a few hours, ugh." Jonghyun grinned at him, thankful that he was willing to split. "And don't even bother asking, okay? This is my treat."

Dongho clapped his hands together. "I like this guy. He can stay."

"Wow, thanks," Seongwu deadpanned. He was about to get his coat from his room when he met Minhyun's eyes and saw the hesitation in them as his fingers twitched over the hem of his sweater. His mind flashed back to their talk earlier or, more accurately, today's episode of their unusual arguments. Minhyun… would never listen, Seongwu realized.

Minhyun stood up. "Jonghyun—"

"Hey, I'm coming with him," said Seongwu, coat in his arms and an unimpressed look on his face. "I _think_ he'll be fine."

Minhyun pursed his lips. "You think?"

"I know, Minhyun." He placed a hand on Minhyun's shoulder as he passed by, placating in intent but infuriating in effect. "We'll be fine."

"And I'll be back soon," said Jonghyun. He motioned at the door. "Let's go?"

"Right," Seongwu mumbled, and he refused to look back at Minhyun in anticipation for the blank stare that he was bound to receive. Minhyun needed to see just how stupid his little protective act was, and Seongwu was going to prove just that.

Minhyun felt the atmosphere change as the two left and he was alone with three knowing looks with varying degrees of nosiness. The first to speak was Minki, always Minki. "So… what do you think about your new roommate?" he tried at first, though the lack of response from Minhyun as he sat back down told him that being cautious wasn't the right approach anymore. "You don't like him, do you?"

"It's not that; I just—" Minhyun struggled to find the words, _as expected._ When it came to describing why he and Seongwu didn't get along for the most part, Minhyun never knew what to say. Seongwu… wasn't doing anything wrong. Later on, Minhyun knew that it would suck but he would have to admit that Seongwu was right about how he was treating Jonghyun. Maybe that stung.

"He's pretty close with Jonghyun," Dongho said dryly.

"I think we _all_ noticed that," Minhyun snapped, and he winced and apologized as soon as he realized how it came across. "It's weird, okay? Just weird. Like they got close without me even noticing, without even being a part of it." Minhyun groaned, and he shook off the concern coming from the rest of them. "Don't… mind me."

"Not easy, especially since your scent's been flaring up since we got here," said Dongho, eyeing Minhyun carefully. "You have to calm down a little."

"I know." Minhyun sighed and buried his face in his hands. "I'm trying, but everything's just so… out of place."

 _Out of place,_ much like the feeling of Jonghyun being affectionate with Seongwu as they walked beside each other. The cold air brought a bright flush on their cheeks, though Seongwu could admit that his was because of Jonghyun pressing against him to share warmth as they walked and talked.

Jonghyun… smelled sweet. Most omegas did, but Jonghyun's scent was so closely associated to the few good memories Seongwu had in their home that Seongwu was starting to associate Jonghyun's scent with how home was supposed to make him feel. Like warmth and freshness and the excitement for something new.

"Today's been weird from the very beginning," said Jonghyun, taking meandering steps as he felt that they were already too close to their destination. "I hope you weren't weirded out by our friends."

"Not at all," Seongwu replied. "They were… a lot at once, yeah, but they seem like good guys. That's the type you hang around, huh?"

"Yes." Jonghyun smiled. "Are you trying to include yourself in that now?"

Seongwu raised his arms in mock defeat. "You got me there."

"Yeah, yeah, you're a friend now." Jonghyun punched his arm lightly. They stopped in front of the restaurant Jonghyun was going to buy takeout food from. "Well, this is my stop."

Seongwu rocked back and forth on his feet. "Well?"

"Well what?"

Seongwu sighed. "Minhyun would kill me if I didn't promise that I made sure nothing would happen to you."

Jonghyun rolled his eyes. "I can protect myself, you know." He dug his hands into the pockets of his coat and leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Seongwu's shoulder. For lack of proper warning and the knowledge of what to do next, Seongwu awkwardly placed his arms around Jonghyun's shoulders, holding him in what was meant to be a hug.

This was… possibly the weirdest part of Seongwu's day, though he was afraid to claim it lest something even weirder decided to come along. Jonghyun was surprisingly warm; he better be, considering that he wore two more layers than the average human did on a daily basis. It was that warmth that made Seongwu sigh before stroking the back of Jonghyun's neck with his thumb before pulling away.

"Is that marked enough?" asked Jonghyun, though he refused to meet Seongwu's eyes.

Seongwu shrugged. "If you tell him that I tried, I'm sure he'll leave us alone," he attempted to say with a lighthearted laugh, but the way he eyed Jonghyun's slight blush destroyed any pretenses that this was simply a casual awkward hug for him. There was something _so_ satisfying about his scent mixing with the sweetness of Jonghyun's, not overpowering but simply… simply coexisting. Seongwu liked that idea.

"I'm off," said Seongwu. He handed Jonghyun his share of the payment and ran off before he hesitated and took it all back. "See you!" Jonghyun waved goodbye at him and walked into the restaurant with a little satisfaction on his face, as Seongwu wanted to imagine.

When Jonghyun got back to the apartment, he was greeted with anticipation and an inkling of concern, a _slight_ inkling that he could detect as soon as he opened the front door. Minhyun looked at him oddly for a moment; no matter how much he tried to ignore it, he knew he could smell Seongwu on Jonghyun. He was honest with Seongwu earlier, and Seongwu understood. Maybe he didn't agree with the methods, but he was trying to understand.

Whether or not it made Minhyun uncomfortable or upset, that wasn't important. He wasn't important here; Jonghyun was. At least he and Seongwu agreed on that.

"You're surprisingly not overreacting," said Aron as he took his usual seat beside Minhyun on the couch. "… you did smell Seongwu on Jonghyun too, right?"

"Yeah, I did," said Minhyun, a little too gruffly for his tastes. "It's fine. I don't— I don't really know how to react." Minhyun laughed in an attempt to dispel whatever odd spell was cast on him today. Maybe he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe it was just a _bad day;_ he didn't have to be dramatic about it. Seongwu's threat about recruiting him into the drama club was terrifying, but his asshole of a roommate might actually push through with it if he was going to act like this for any longer.

The rest of their friends stayed for a few more hours, all of them attempting to insert their own plans in this damn road trip. "It's my farewell trip! Why can't _I_ decide where we go?" Aron whined, and though he had a point, so did the rest of them.

"Aron, you're not _from here._ What else do you know other than Jeju?" Minki said, raising an eyebrow at Aron's silence. "I thought so. Now as I was saying—"

"We are _not_ going to Busan," said Dongho. "There's no way I'm willing to drive all the way there."

"You know, we could just take the train," Minhyun mumbled. He looked at their spreadsheet of expenses and groaned. "Actually, no, we can't."

"Besides, road trips are more fun! If it's a proper farewell Aron wants—" Minki slung his arm around Aron's neck and received an elbow to the groin when he attempted to headlock him. " _Ouch._ I just wanted to give you the goodbye you deserve."

"You talk like I'm going to die, geez," Aron mumbled.

Jonghyun groaned. "Gangneung. My sister's house." He stood up and closed the laptop that Minhyun had been staring at for the past twenty minutes. "There's a beach, there are mountains, and we can drive there. Agreed?"

When Jonghyun was decisive, well… it was difficult to argue with him. Making plans was supposed to be easy for them, but sometimes five voices yelling at once just gave them the biggest headaches. Minhyun was grateful for Jonghyun's leadership, though sometimes he felt like he should have been filling that role instead.

Looking at his friends as they all cleaned up and got ready to leave, Minhyun disagreed with himself. Aron had the advantage of age, Dongho had the advantage of being a hardass, while Minhyun and Minki had the advantage of being alphas, but the only person that everyone was willing to listen to was Jonghyun. For many reasons, Minhyun admired Jonghyun for that.

Seongwu arrived as soon as the three left. "Hey. I passed by the others on the way up," he said, voice a little raw from overuse. "Do we have any food?"

"Yeah, we left you some since we felt bad," said Minhyun. He reheated it for Seongwu and focused on the spinning of the microwave to ignore how Seongwu was staring at his back. "You, uh, going to stop staring any time soon?"

Seongwu snapped out of himself and sighed. "I was thinking of how to ask—" Minhyun turned around to see Seongwu fishing in the pockets of his coats for something, something that turned out to be tickets to their show. "I usually ask my parents or my sister, but I want you two to be there this time. It would, uh, mean a lot. Since you did help us out."

Minhyun couldn't help but give him a small smile. "With your promotions?"

"Yeah with that," said Seongwu, handing Minhyun the tickets without letting it go just yet, "and with letting me live here. That's… really important to me, and I'm trying to understand how things work around here. I've been trying."

"I know," Minhyun said, sighing. "We should forget this day happened. We've both been trying recently, and I feel like this day just messed it all up."

Seongwu laughed and he let go of the tickets when Minhyun finally gave him the pleasure of hearing a little chuckle slip from his lips. "You said it." The microwave beeped behind Minhyun, but neither of them felt like breaking this. Was this another truce? Maybe the frequency of these peace meetings was a little frustrating, but what mattered was that they kept doing it, that they were willing to make up. It was good to know that they were both willing to try.

 

 

———

 

 

Seongwu was amazing. Absolutely fucking amazing.

Minhyun never saw him in that light before, never saw his loud voice and his passion translate into his acting. Minhyun felt like he was watching a complete stranger onstage, not someone who had just been snoring across him this morning. Seongwu's character was charming and cunning but painfully flawed, and somehow Minhyun thought Seongwu was a perfect fit for that.

Watching Seongwu walk towards him outside the theater, face still covered in makeup and eyes blown wide with excitement, was a little different from the usual routine that they had established just recently. Seongwu looked like a _star._ "Hey!" he said, breathless and bright. "How was that?"

"You… were amazing," Minhyun said. He couldn't help but sound a little awestruck, a little breathless himself. "I might have to watch that again."

Seongwu's smile was blinding, and the darkness of the night couldn't hide how his cheeks turned pink as he looked away. "I'll tell you when I'm going to be on stage— or would you rather watch the other guy take my place?"

"No, it wouldn't be worth it if I weren't watching the star of the show," Minhyun said quietly. Seongwu gaped at him, and it took a while before Minhyun realized what he had said in complete seriousness. "I— I meant— you were great. Honestly. I don't think I'm physically capable of downplaying how well you did."

Seongwu laughed, flattered but still very awkward. He was finally able to meet Minhyun's eyes, and he would be lying if he claimed that no part of him was pleased to see that sweet warmth in Minhyun's eyes, something that he never thought he would see directed towards him.

Over the past week, Seongwu didn't come home as much. There were some days when he and Minhyun were still able to go home together, but most of the time he collapsed on his bed without so much as a second glance at Minhyun's side of the room. Yeah, Minhyun would nag at him in the middle of the night and tell him to take a shower to wash off the smell of all these damn strangers on him, but it was still different from the way they laughed and whined or sat in comfortable silence during their usual bus rides. Seongwu missed the routine; he missed having something constant in his days.

Something constant was instead replaced by something new— and unbelievably _strange._ Minhyun pulled him in for a hug, a hand on the back of his head and the other clapping his shoulder. "I'm really proud of you," he mumbled, and after a few moments, Seongwu was grateful that Minhyun decided to pull away before Seongwu could think of reciprocating. "Now _come home._ "

Seongwu shook his head and created a little more distance from Minhyun and his sudden affection. What the hell was _that?_ Not that Seongwu was really complaining, but it would have been nice to have gotten a heads up before he was attacked with the scent of Minhyun that was… surprisingly more welcoming than it was before.

"I have a cast party, and my friends are thinking of going to an after party or three, so…" Seongwu sighed, a little exhaustion showing on his face after a whole week of hard work. "I don't know what time I'll be home."

Minhyun couldn't hide his disappointment. He was hoping to take Seongwu out, the three of them having dinner somewhere as roommates for the first time since… _that_ disaster of a first time. "Oh," he said, trying his best to be neutral about it.

Unfortunately for Minhyun, he was a bad actor, and that was clear as ever to any good actor out there, especially Seongwu. He laughed and placed his hand on Minhyun's shoulder; the mood of this touch was worlds apart from the last time Seongwu was this close to Minhyun, when he was putting him in his place and digging deeper into that rift between them. "I'll probably pass out early, so don't worry."

"I wasn't worried," Minhyun said.

"I know you're not; I meant—" Seongwu groaned and shoved Minhyun back lightly. Minhyun stumbled back and shook off Seongwu's touch, eyes mirroring the mirth and exasperation in Seongwu's. They stopped long enough for Seongwu to realize something. "Where's Jonghyun?"

"He held his piss for the entire show because he couldn't afford to miss anything." Minhyun shook his head at his roommate's stupidity. "That really does say something about your show."

"I'm… very grateful," said Seongwu. He waved at someone behind Minhyun, and Minhyun turned to see Jonghyun walking towards him, almost waddling in the cold. "Hey. How was the piss?"

 _"Heavenly,"_ Jonghyun breathed out. He laughed and tried to place his arm over Seongwu's shoulders, but he reeled back when the wind blew past them and he smelled Seongwu. "God, I know you had a really sexy role, but could you at least wash off the three other people I can smell on you?"

Seongwu was stunned but amused; Jonghyun really couldn't hold back sometimes, huh? "I will… take that into consideration," he said flatly, though he attempted to hug Jonghyun by the waist just to tease him. He received a palm on the face and kick to the shin which was enough for Seongwu to yelp and almost fall down the stairs behind him. Luckily, his two roommates were able grab an arm each to pull him back to safety but not without the laughter that made Seongwu's cheeks even pinker.

"You two really _suck_ ," Seongwu grumbled, but he held on to their hands and squeezed lightly. "Thanks for coming."

It was a good moment. Minhyun and Jonghyun went home as soon as Seongwu entered the theater again, not really sure where to go next. They bought takeout and settled into their usual patterns, with Minhyun cleaning up as they finished dinner and Jonghyun curling up on the couch as always. The apartment was silent, save for the sounds of whatever Jonghyun was watching on TV.

Minhyun hung the dish rag and walked towards Jonghyun on the couch until his shins met the cushions. "Can I—"

"Just lie down," said Jonghyun, moving his legs to give Minhyun some space. At first, Minhyun just sat there, but eventually he slid down and rested his head on Jonghyun's thigh. He sighed when Jonghyun started stroking his hair, a familiar touch that Minhyun hadn't enjoyed in a while.

"I miss this. Being like this," Minhyun mumbled. Jonghyun didn't tense up, didn't flake as Minhyun spoke. At that moment, they found peace in their silence and in the little things that used to fill up their days and nights with each other. In the hustle and bustle of their daily lives, it was easy to forget that this was how they always recharged: with each other, with a soft smile and a gentle touch, with words unspoken and thoughts understood.

"I hope you're not suggesting that we tell Seongwu to go," Jonghyun said, soft and afraid of something Minhyun couldn't quite place. From this close, Minhyun could sense that in the hesitation in his words and the way his scent drifted from him. He smelled even sweeter than usual, but he was trying to hide it. Minhyun didn't want to look too deeply into that, into Jonghyun's subconscious.

Minhyun turned to lie on his stomach and rested his chin on Jonghyun's bony thigh. Jonghyun almost kneed him in the face, but Minhyun helped settle his nerves with his touch. "I hope that's not what you're suggesting," Minhyun mumbled, "because I would disagree."

Jonghyun was surprised; Minhyun saw that in his eyes and felt that in his scent. He was _beaming._ "Really? I'm— I'm glad." His hand was by the side of Minhyun's face, and he lifted a finger to trace Minhyun's cheek. "I like him, you know."

Minhyun's mind went into overdrive. Jonghyun liked Seongwu, of course he did; they wouldn't have gotten this far if Jonghyun didn't insist on making this work. What was this? What was this moment, this touch? Would he rather that Seongwu were here on his lap instead, eyes soft and wandering, wishing for Jonghyun to cup his face and hold him close? So who was Minhyun in this story? What was the point of this, of watching all of this develop as a forgotten character or a second lead syndrome victim or the fated best friend or—

"Me too," Minhyun managed to croak out before his pause was drawn out for too long.

"I'm glad." Jonghyun smiled, the soft one that made his eyes so bright and beautiful. Minhyun sighed as Jonghyun finally cupped his face, his thumb stroking over the swell of Minhyun's cheeks. "You've lost weight."

"No, I didn't," said Minhyun, though he was flattered that Jonghyun would notice that he actually did.

"Yeah, you did. I know these cheeks," he mumbled, and he pinched Minhyun's face before laughing and pulling his hand away. Minhyun stopped himself before he could reach out and ask for Jonghyun's touch again, anything to soothe the anxiety in his chest. "You should move. That's position won't be comfortable for long."

Minhyun dug his chin into the flesh of Jonghyun's thigh before he sat up and moved away. "I should go then."

"Don't," Jonghyun mumbled. He made space for Minhyun to lie down beside him, and before Minhyun could question it, Jonghyun yawned and reached out for his hand. "Come on. Stay with me. I missed this too."

It was the gentleness in Jonghyun's sleepy voice that convinced Minhyun that this was real, that Jonghyun wasn't just looking for any warm body but Minhyun's right now. It was that gentleness that made Minhyun settle back down, this time a little closer— and when Jonghyun moved to lie on his back and patted his chest, Minhyun didn't realize that Jonghyun wanted him even _closer,_ lying right against the beating of his heart.

This position wasn't normal for them, and the last time they lied down like this, it was after one of the worst days of Minhyun's life, the only time Jonghyun had ever seen him cry. Jonghyun listened to his sobs then, felt it vibrating against his chest as he held Minhyun close and attempted to be the steady pillar that he needed.

This time, it all just felt so warm, so comfortable, so inviting. Minhyun didn't know what brought this on, what made Jonghyun so affectionate today, but he wasn't about to reject the sensation of their scents mixing as Jonghyun stroked Minhyun's hair and allowed him to bury his face in Jonghyun's chest. They shouldn't have fallen asleep like that, all crammed together on the couch, but Minhyun couldn't help but drift away as Jonghyun's breathing soothed his soul.

Their perfect nap was disturbed by their doorbell ringing _constantly,_ like an alarm that they couldn't remember setting. Minhyun got up first, blearily rubbing his eyes and feeling around for the remote of the TV that Jonghyun forgot to turn off before he fell asleep too. Jonghyun groaned and attempted to smother himself with a throw pillow, but Minhyun pried it off his hands and helped him up as the ringing of the doorbell was accompanied by a series of knocks on their door.

Minhyun checked the clock. It was one in the morning; who the hell was— "Hi," a smiley Seongwu mumbled as he held on to the doorway. "I'm drunk."

Jonghyun crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I see? And did you lose your keys too?"

"It's in my coat," Seongwu giggled, "but I don't know where that is."

Minhyun and Jonghyun looked at each other before sighing. "Alright, try not to throw up," said Jonghyun, yawning again. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Seongwu blinking at him innocently. "What is it?"

Seongwu stepped to the side and revealed… three other drunk guys, sitting on the floor and attempting to start a cuddle pile in the middle of the hallway. One of them was Kwon Hyunbin, now attempting to raise his hand and wave at them, though the best he could do was lift it up from the ground for a few seconds before dropping it on one of the other guy's face. Minhyun could feel a headache starting to form at his temples.

"We, uh, need a place to crash. Or they do." Seongwu groaned as he glanced at the lightbulb from the faraway living room. "I live here!"

"Yes, you do," said Minhyun. _If you keep this up, it won't be for much longer._

"Can they… pass out on the couches for tonight?" asked Seongwu, voice too thin and too high. He attempted to bat his lashes, but as soon as his lids closed, he found it _incredibly_ difficult to lift them again. Minhyun had to reach out and help him stand up, and both of their sleepy legs started shaking as they tried to hold each other up.

"We won't break anything," someone slurred from behind Minhyun.

"I'll be nice!" said Hyunbin, though within the next ten seconds, his soft snores were already loud and clear in the silent hallway. Jonghyun and Minhyun were still content with just staring at them, weighing the situation and silently deciding if they were tired enough to allow Seongwu's friends—and Seongwu himself—to freeze outside.

Jonghyun yawned again. "Close the door, Minhyun. The cold's going in."

Minhyun's eyes widened and he pulled Jonghyun back before he could walk to his room. "Hey! Let's be… nice."

Jonghyun raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Please be sure." Seongwu smiled at Minhyun and stroked his arm. "We'll be nice too!"

Minhyun shook his hand away and groaned. "Come on in, but _no throwing up._ "

"Agreed!" Seongwu said, a little too chipper for someone who was supposedly super drunk. "Get up, losers. Let's sleep."

The three of them struggled to get up from the floor, but they did manage to make their way to the door with stumbling steps and giggles that coincided with the thumping in Minhyun's head.

Seongwu grabbed each of them before they fell over again. "These are my friends: Daniel, Jaehwan, and you all know Hyunbin. Friends, these are my awesome roommates!" Seongwu walked to Jonghyun and cupped his face. "Oh, Jonghyun, so beautiful inside and out. So kind and _welcoming._ " Jonghyun scoffed at him before laughing and batting his hands away. Seongwu moved on to his next target, a Hwang Minhyun who eyed his hands with hesitation. "Don't worry; they're clean— oh, Minhyun. So annoyingly perfect, but mostly annoying. Thank you for your hospitality and kindness and grace and—"

"Please stop," Minhyun mumbled. Drunk Seongwu was possibly the _worst_ Seongwu that Minhyun had ever encountered, but he wouldn't dare jinx it. "Just— go to sleep. Please."

Seongwu grinned before patting Minhyun's cheek and leading his friends to the living room where they all passed out on their own couch— except for Hyunbin who was unfortunate enough to have only been left the carpet in front of the TV. He was dead asleep before he could even complain about it.

Jonghyun groaned and pressed his forehead against Minhyun's shoulder. "I'm tired," he said. "That was enough stress in five minutes for the rest of the week."

Minhyun chuckled and helped drag him into his room. Before Minhyun retreated, he looked back at the various piles of sleeping men in his living room. So these were Seongwu's friends; Minhyun couldn't judge until they were all sober and coherent. Knowing Seongwu, though… they were bound to be fun. Good people, maybe a little—or a _lot_ —more exciting than Minhyun and the rest of the bunch, but good people nonetheless. Minhyun didn't expect anything less from Seongwu, despite how he initially thought that Seongwu was an ass.

A little part of Minhyun was excited for the morning. He was excited to hand out glasses of water and painkillers and wait for them all to actually gain consciousness and the will to live before Minhyun could start digging about Seongwu. How was he really like? How did he fit with the rest of them, or how did the rest of them adjust to fit with him?

Minhyun chuckled. How many times did they have to fish him out of trouble? Or was _he_ the one in charge of getting their shit together? Minhyun was honestly curious. Maybe it was the mood of the night and starting it off with seeing Seongwu in his element, or maybe it was because he and Jonghyun talked about it and they both agreed that they wanted Seongwu to stay, but Minhyun was starting to care a whole lot more. Maybe it took a little longer and took a lot of bickering and disagreements and peace offerings, but Minhyun was warming up to his roommate. _Finally._

"Hey, Minhyun," a voice mumbled from the couch. It was Seongwu, eyes suddenly much clearer than they were before. "Thanks for this. I love you."

Minhyun groaned and rolled his eyes. "Ugh, you're a pain." Seongwu's breathy chuckles were enough of a response for him to go to bed with laughter still bubbling in his chest, uncontrollable and annoying but still undeniably there.

 

 

———

 

 

The cold end of winter also marked the end of their heater's lifespan, and the three of them found themselves at home a lot less just to avoid the pain of freezing toes. "Seongwu!" Minhyun knocked on the door of the bathroom. "Did you talk to the landlord about our heater?"

 _"Yes, they're fixing it! Go away!"_ Seongwu yelled from inside the shower. Minhyun was about to bang on the door again when he heard a frustrated groan coming from Jonghyun's bedroom.

 _"Can you two shut up? I'm trying not to fail here!"_ Jonghyun screamed, voice cracking at the end of his passionate speech. Minhyun groaned, but he decided against pissing Jonghyun off in the middle of midterms. Also… they had just gotten a noise complaint last night after Minhyun and Seongwu wrecked the karaoke mic with their screaming; Minhyun didn't need to add Jonghyun committing murder to their list of sins in their landlord's eyes.

"Well, I'm trying not to freeze, but we don't all get what we want, do we?" Minhyun jumped back when they heard banging on the wall from their neighbors, and he promptly collapsed on the couch for want of relaxation after the longest week of their lives.

Jonghyun was the master of not getting what he wanted at this point— or at least when it came to getting it then realizing that it wasn't what he wanted in the first place. He was honestly just referring to the roommate situation; yeah, they got the extra rent money that they needed and Minhyun and Seongwu finally learned to get along after two months of warming up, but _at what cost?_

Jonghyun's sanity, that's what. Sure, he wasn't being suffocated by the constant shitting wars between the two dominant scents in the apartment; Jonghyun was grateful for that. Scent marking was instead replaced by talking and laughter and _so much noise,_ something that Jonghyun might have missed from Minhyun after being a bystander of their cold war for so long. Still, _very annoying._

He stretched his arms over his head as he closed his laptop and rested his burning eyes. These midterms were killing him, and the fact that his toes really were freezing from inside his socks just made this experience so much more miserable. What time was it even?

"Fuck," Jonghyun whispered. Apparently he was insane enough to study for ten hours straight, but he honestly needed it; he wasn't going to complain. Must be why his bones were begging to lie down on a soft, soft bed…

He passed out within seconds, but he immediately regretted that as he woke up in the middle of the night to a whole arm that he couldn't move and shivers, shivers _everywhere._ "Fuck, my heater's broken," Jonghyun mumbled. He dragged himself and his blanket out of the room, feeling a little warmth from the crack under the door. Oh, sweet, sweet warmth.

In the darkness, he managed to collapse on the couch, right on top of two warm bodies that groaned as Jonghyun fell on them. "What the fuck," one of them grumbled, probably Seongwu. Jonghyun yawned and wrapped his blanket around himself, squirming his way onto the couch cushions and in between the two that were curled up in their own blankets.

"Jonghyun, stop moving," Minhyun said, reaching out blindly to pull Jonghyun towards him. In his exhaustion, Jonghyun stretched out and crawled up against Minhyun's stomach, resting his head and drifting to sleep with each rise and fall of Minhyun's belly.

"Ugh, I can't do this." Seongwu groaned before getting up and trying to leave, but Jonghyun reached out and managed to grab his hand. "What?"

"Don't leave," whispered Minhyun. "Just sleep here. It's cold inside."

Seongwu sighed and sat down, placing their feet on his lap. The position was uncomfortable for his neck, but he managed to position a throw pillow to cradle his head. Jonghyun still held his hand, and his thumb stroked over the back of Seongwu's hand until they fell asleep in that position, all tangled up in one another.

Jonghyun didn't really understand his dream that night. He dreamt of being in nature, surrounded by lush grass and the warmth of the sun against his face. As he lied down, he felt that warmth surround him and take over his senses, leaving him floating on some cloud of comfort. There was a hand on his shoulder, one that urged him to sink deeper into its embrace.

 _An embrace. Whose embrace?_ Jonghyun tried to open his eyes, but he winced as soon as the rays of the sun hit his eyes from the holes in their living room curtains. Jonghyun groaned; just one more thing to fix in this damn apartment. Jonghyun knew he had to get up, knew he had to start his day no matter how shitty his sleep was— other than that very, very strange dream that he didn't have time to look into, but something was anchoring him to the couch, something more than his own exhaustion.

There was an arm over his thighs and a hand on his chest, fingers grazing his collar as he breathed. And as he breathed, Jonghyun's head spun with the scents of the two alphas surrounding him, filling him with comfort and the feeling that nothing could hurt him now. No one could touch him for as long as he was in the arms of these two—

—these two fucking _idiots_ who Jonghyun was unfortunate enough to live with; what the hell was he even _thinking?_ Jonghyun squirmed and tried to pry their hands off him, but Minhyun growled and Seongwu slid down to rest his head on Jonghyun's stomach with his legs hanging over the edge of the couch because of how damn long he was. It looked uncomfortable, but the way he smiled in his sleep made Jonghyun think otherwise.

"Stop moving, Jonghyun," Seongwu mumbled. "Just stay here."

"It's still early," Minhyun said. When Jonghyun looked up at him, he was already wide awake, but he only stared at Jonghyun and kept his hands where they were, growing bolder as Jonghyun melted in his touch. He slid down and buried his nose in Jonghyun's hair, breathing deeply until he fell asleep again.

Something about this… _should_ have bothered Jonghyun. It shouldn't have been so easy for him to relax in their touch and sink into the cushions as he fell asleep too. At first, he wanted to blame it on the warmth that he had been seeking all night. The three of them huddled together like that in the only room that still had a functioning heater was the best solution for their winter problems, and it all just happened by accident, by the two deciding that sleeping on the couch was better than freezing in their beds and by Jonghyun deciding to crash.

The last thoughts on Jonghyun's mind before he drifted off was that he felt so _safe,_ and why the hell wouldn't he be in the first place? If he were thinking clearly, he would just feel comfortable, but he almost felt invincible as the two wrapped themselves around him and filled every space, every crevice of creeping cold with their comforting touches.

This had been going on ever since they asked Seongwu for his share of the rent and never mentioned his trial period ever again. It all started when they made this house into a home of _three,_ and that creeping coldness in Jonghyun's life was replaced by two people who finally realized how well they clicked and brought Jonghyun along with the ride.

This little incident was… a little respite, a break from everything, a chance to breathe. And yet, Jonghyun couldn't stop thinking about it over and over again, wishing that maybe they all could have stayed like that for as long as they could.


	2. Chapter 2

 

Minhyun's boss worked him to the bone today, and Minhyun felt that as soon as he collapsed on the couch. "Ugh," he raised his head slightly and saw Jonghyun with a bowl of popcorn on his lap and an unimpressed expression on his face. "Feed," said Minhyun, and he opened his mouth for Jonghyun to toss a piece into.

"Try not to choke," Jonghyun said, and he laughed as Minhyun promptly failed to do that. Minhyun coughed beside him, glaring at Jonghyun and how he just laughed at Minhyun's suffering. Jonghyun put the bowl down on the coffee table and turned to his side, regarding Minhyun with a faint smile. "Tired?"

Minhyun closed his eyes and hummed. "So."

"I can tell. You're not even speaking in phrases." Jonghyun grinned and almost reached over to touch Minhyun's hair, but he seemed to go against it right before he could lift his hand. "This is the café job, right?" Minhyun nodded. "Just quit it then."

Minhyun closed his eyes and let out a muffled snort. "And then what? We get another roommate to split rent with?"

"Yeah, he can sleep on the couch since it's all we have left." Jonghyun stopped, acting as if he were deep in thought. "Don't you think it's fair that we get another omega? Just to level the playing field?"

Minhyun's eyes widened, and a grin slowly appeared on his face. "What? In what way are we putting you at a disadvantage?"

Jonghyun rolled his eyes and groaned, a familiar sight of mockery that Minhyun grew to understand as a signal that Jonghyun was teasing around. "Do you even comprehend how annoying you and Seongwu are? I mean, you're annoying by yourself—always have been—but now you've found someone who even _encourages_ that. I almost regret punching that asshole in the face."

"Aww, are you sad that I have other friends in this household?" Unlike Jonghyun, Minhyun didn't have the same self-control or presence of mind to stop himself from reaching out and brushing Jonghyun's hair out of his eyes, fingers tracing his earlobe before settling on his jaw. "Are you _jealous?_ "

He felt for Jonghyun's pulse. It wasn't beating any faster, wasn't showing any sign of discomfort. Before Minhyun decided to withdraw his hand, he leaned forward and was hit with a wave of pheromones, way more telling than the simple beating of one's heart. "Me? Jealous? In your dreams, Minhyun," said Jonghyun, but his body refused to cooperate with his words. His eyes darkened and his pulse quickened and his lids only fluttered when Minhyun leaned even closer.

"I miss this," said Minhyun, his voice low and welcoming.

"What? Being roasted by me?" Jonghyun tried to smile and look at Minhyun in the eyes, but his gaze still kept going back to Minhyun's lips, like a thought that consumed all his senses.

"Not the case and also not my point." Minhyun gave him a tight-lipped smile as if he were hesitant to speak. "I miss—"

"I miss this. Being like this." Jonghyun merely echoed his words from weeks ago, but something about the mood and the exhaustion and the way they simply allowed each other to be in their space like this— it made Minhyun _want._ It made his eyes darken and his thoughts close down on anything other than leaning forward and claiming Jonghyun's lips.

And god, _god_ was it all he had ever wanted. His hand on Jonghyun's jaw was soon followed by his other hand cupping Jonghyun's cheek then Jonghyun's hands over his, pressing his touch even harder against his skin. There was something inexplicably _desperate_ about the way they pushed and pulled, their bodies moving on the couch and towards each other. Minhyun felt like they couldn't get any closer without melding their bodies together, but Jonghyun was more persistent, more determined to breathe Minhyun's air and take him whole.

… and then Jonghyun gripped his hands and pried them from his face. They stared at each other for a while, heavy breaths keeping them from talking just yet. But even without words, Minhyun felt something change in the air; was it the temperature? Was it the way it crept up his spine like flames licking at his skin, causing his extremities to tingle as they sought Jonghyun's hands again? Was it the scent in the air that invited him to take a dip again, to reach forward and bury his senses in all that Jonghyun could give him?

No, it was the way Jonghyun looked at him now, not with disgust or shock or anger but complete and utter _apathy._ He stared at Minhyun with blankness in his eyes and something that told Minhyun that he didn't care, that he didn't _want_ to. Minhyun blinked slowly as he sat up and faced Jonghyun properly. This was not their first time going through this. Hell, it wasn't their first time sharing a heated kiss, pulling apart from each other, and realizing that they just did _that._ And again and again, over and over again… _"We shouldn't do this,"_ Jonghyun would say.

That didn't change, especially not now. Minhyun's response remained the same too. "Why?"

Each time, the excuses would change. The first time it happened, after a party where Aron tried to get them drunk, Jonghyun pushed him away as they sat on the floor of the kitchen and pressed his cheek against the cold metal of the fridge to wake him up. _"We can't,"_ Jonghyun had said, _"because we just met. We barely even know each other."_

At the time, Minhyun accepted that. Jonghyun was right; they were still in the phase where Minhyun felt himself stiffen at the slightest sniff of Jonghyun's pheromones, where he felt the atmosphere in the room change every time he and Jonghyun were together. He didn't know that they would be such good friends, that the things he was worried about became insignificant every time he realized how important Jonghyun's friendship was to him. Then again, they might not have reached this point if they had gone along with that instinct within the first three months of meeting each other. Skipping that chance was the right thing to do.

The second time it happened was a little more similar to this case. They were staying up late for no reason, thinking that it would be a fun way to spend their last day of summer vacation. The nights were way cooler than the days, but they still found themselves nearly naked on the living room couch, curtains billowing beside them as they allowed the air to come in.

Maybe it was the exhaustion or the warm soup that they ate earlier that night or the way the muted moonlight hit Minhyun's face, but this time, it was Jonghyun who leaned forward with both hands to hold Minhyun's face and pull him close. He hesitated first, tested the waters before diving in. His chest was warm against Minhyun's, and his pulse was loud and clear against Minhyun's ear when they pulled back to breathe. _"We can't,"_ Jonghyun had said, _"because we're not in our right minds."_

 _"So if we were? If I kiss you tomorrow after we both get some sleep, will that change anything?"_ Minhyun was earnest here, almost eager if he were being honest with himself. Jonghyun simply shrugged and squeezed his shoulders before standing up and hiding away in his room. They never talked about it again.

For some reason, that was Minhyun's fear. Avoidance, silence, a false fresh start; those were the _last_ things he wanted to experience ever again. It's the reason why he refused to even think about it. Some things were better off buried and hidden away, but the spirit of stubbornness was urging Minhyun to stop being so afraid of this conversation every time it had to happen. He held on to Jonghyun's wrist before Jonghyun could run away. "Because it's not just us here, Minhyun," Jonghyun tried. "It's not just us in our world anymore; it would be weird for Seongwu—"

"He's _not_ part of this discussion." Minhyun squeezed Jonghyun's wrist tightly until Jonghyun squirmed in his touch and tried to pull away. Minhyun eased up when he saw the brief panic in Jonghyun's eyes. There was something else too, like hesitation or a thought that was still under wraps. "Stop— don't use him as an excuse. What else do you have?"

Jonghyun scoffed, sensing the challenge in Minhyun's eyes. He shook Minhyun's hand away, rubbing at his wrist and glaring at Minhyun. This night was turning sour, turning their scents hostile and unappealing. Just a moment ago, Minhyun would have been all over Jonghyun, but as this conversation—or non-conversation—passed, Minhyun felt the sting of rejection settle in his stomach, the pain of frustration turning him into someone he didn't want to be.

"Maybe… I don't want to be an unclaimed omega getting into something with an alpha like _you._ " Those words were meant to sting, to burn, but where? Where was Jonghyun hitting? What was he jabbing at?

"What do you mean by, 'an alpha like me,' huh? What the hell are you suggesting?" Minhyun clenched his fist. "If you're lumping me with the rest of the assholes you've encountered—"

Jonghyun laughed now, a bitter bark that Minhyun didn't expect would come from him. "Oh, you think you're so _special?_ Yeah, in my book, you definitely are." Jonghyun grit his teeth. "You think that you're some advocate, some _savior_ who can protect me from the dangers of being what I am? You realize that by smothering me like this, you're not any better than those who make my life miserable by being assholes to me?"

Minhyun's eyes widened. _So… Seongwu was right_. "I don't think— you're not—"

"You don't have the right to tell me that I don't understand or that I'm looking at it the wrong way _._ " Jonghyun poked Minhyun's chest and dug his finger into his flesh. "You don't get to tell me how I'm supposed to feel!"

Minhyun held Jonghyun's hand and calmly lowered it, holding it tightly over his lap. "You know what? You're right. I always make you feel like being an omega is a pain in the ass and that I'm the only one who can protect you from that. I'm sorry," Minhyun lowered his head, "but something tells me that's not the real reason why you refuse to do this."

Jonghyun rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away from Minhyun. "What now, huh? What are you going to make me believe this time?"

"That you've never actually told me 'no'." Minhyun tried to meet the blankness of Jonghyun's face, tried to say this as calmly as he could manage. He needed to _try_ because he was never going to get his point across, he was never going to be understood. Talking to Jonghyun now felt like screaming at a wall, but maybe he would get through, bit by bit, until a small voice from his heart could be heard.

… not that he was really aiming for that. Maybe he loved Jonghyun; maybe he really, really did. At this point, that was a little impossible to show, a little impossible to expect to be reciprocated. No, not with recent events and developments.

"I've said 'no' so many times, Minhyun," Jonghyun said, a drop of desperation dripping from his voice too. "You just never listen."

"Because you never give me a reason worth listening to, Jonghyun," said Minhyun. "I could take a 'no' for an answer, and I'd wholeheartedly accept it if I didn't know who you were, how good we are together, how good we could be for each other, how we both feel something for each other, as cliché as it sounds. I don't—" Minhyun let his voice crack, let himself look weak and vulnerable if it was what Jonghyun needed to see. "I don't ever want to force you into anything, but I can't keep accepting lies from you.

"It's unfair. It's unfair to me, and it's unfair to _you._ It stings and it sucks and it _hurts,_ Jonghyun." Minhyun sucked in a breath through his clenched teeth. "I want to listen. I want to stop when you tell me to stop and leave this all behind, but I can't do that if I feel like we're not giving it a fair chance, not giving ourselves a chance at something that could be really, _really_ good."

Jonghyun met his eyes, but he couldn't hold Minhyun's deep gaze for long. "Do you mean this?"

"I do, Jonghyun." Minhyun tried to reach out to him again, but he felt like his moment was over. "So give me one good reason why this wouldn't work out or why we shouldn't even try in the first place."

Jonghyun stood and started taking steps backwards, away from Minhyun as always. "Because there can't be an _us_ if I don't want it, if I don't agree to it. And I just… _can't,_ Minhyun." He walked to his room, leaving Minhyun stunned on the couch. It wasn't his responsibility to pick him back up from these moments, to be his support and to hold him until he was ready to push this issue onto Jonghyun again.

So Minhyun sat there, alone in the living room, until he found the strength in his body to stand up and hide from the sinking feeling in his stomach, the one that told him that his was his last chance with Jonghyun, and he didn't blow it; it just simply wasn't going to happen. The sooner he accepted that, the less it might hurt— eventually.

 

 

———

 

 

Seongwu slapped his cheeks before he opened the front door, trying not to make it too obvious that he was a _little_ too tipsy to have just had "a few drinks with his castmates," as he told Minhyun earlier that night. He realized that he didn't have to when he went inside and was immediately repulsed by the current situation of the living room, with a scent almost creating a force field around it. "What the hell?" Seongwu mumbled, and he looked for their neutralizer spray in the kitchen before he could even move forward. "What happened here?"

He passed by Jonghyun's room and raised a hand to knock, but he could sense Jonghyun's distress from within. He could sense it seeping out from under the door; it was almost calling out for Seongwu to come in and save Jonghyun. It was a beacon that was drawing Seongwu in… not until he realized that there was something _unnatural_ about this, and he highly doubted that Jonghyun would want to see him in whatever state he was.

So Seongwu decided to give up. It wasn't his problem, and he'd rather Jonghyun work it out himself and talk to Seongwu about it if he needed to. Right. That was much, _much_ safer.

He didn't think he'd be attacked by something different that felt fundamentally similar within his own room. Seongwu stepped into the dark bedroom and dropped his bag at the foot of his bed, but it didn't take long until he smelled tears in the air, very different from the fresh scent of Minhyun's pheromones that he was already used to by now.

In the darkness, Seongwu's face was filled with panic. What the hell happened in this house tonight, and why were the two of them so miserable? Seongwu never witnessed the two of them fighting, never saw anything other than two people that were made for each other but refused to see it. They were always a little too understanding, a little too sweet, and way too comfortable with each other. Seongwu often felt like a third wheel, but it's not like he could have expected anything else.

So now what? What was he supposed to do? Ignore the way Minhyun was calling out for him the way he ignored Jonghyun? Go to bed and wake up early and try to escape this house before the two interacted again and gave Seongwu an idea of what the hell caused this rift?

 _No,_ he told himself. These two… they were his _friends._ Two months ago, a few weeks past, maybe he wouldn't have said this. He would have ignored them both, or maybe he'd let Minhyun choke on his tears while Seongwu showed the slightest bit of concern for Jonghyun. He would have let them be. But he was sick of being the third wheel at this point; he was part of this household now.

"What— what happened?" asked Seongwu from his side of the room. He took hesitant steps forward until his shins met the frame of Minhyun's bed, but all he could see from the moonlight was Minhyun being covered by his blanket. "Is it… related to Jonghyun?" Seongwu saw Minhyun's shoulders moving, though he couldn't decipher if he was laughing or sobbing from behind the covers, his only shield from Seongwu's scrutiny. "I'll take that as a 'yes'? Because I think he's crying because of you too."

This time, he could hear it: just the softest sobs and a little sigh before Minhyun sat up and turned on his reading lamp. His eyes were swollen and his face looked gaunt and he was just… miserable. Seongwu could feel it radiating off him. "Is he really?" Minhyun scoffed. "Didn't think he would, that selfish basta— fuck. I can't even say it, I can't lie like that."

Seongwu's brows furrowed. "Strong words there." Minhyun never spoke badly of Jonghyun, never let anything other than words dripping of honey spill from his lips when it came to him. Seongwu took a seat beside Minhyun, leaning back on the wall just as he did. Even with the minimal contact of their shoulders brushing against each other as they breathed, Seongwu could feel Minhyun curling into himself, retreating behind all his possible defenses. "I just… don't understand what's going on."

"Me neither." Minhyun let out a pained laugh. He stared down at his hands and picked at his nails, soaking up the silence that was only filled by his occasional sniffles and the hum of the heater in the background. He tried to start talking several times, sometimes starting with explanations or maybe going back to a memory, but his voice would crack before he could even finish a sentence. Minhyun was _broken._

"I remember…" he was finally able to say after a few more minutes of calming down, "I remember talking to my sister about Jonghyun so much during the first few months of knowing him. We weren't that close yet, but I liked him." Minhyun sighed. "I liked him a lot, but I didn't want to put meaning to that yet. My sister—she's an alpha—she told me that one day I would be crushed by the thought of not ever being able to have him.

"I just… laughed her off, I guess. I thought she was talking about him being an omega and me wanting him because of that. The thought crossed my mind, definitely, but I wasn't about to be an asshole when I knew that I liked Jonghyun. I really, _really_ like Jonghyun." Minhyun sighed again. "I didn't think my sister would be right. I didn't think it would crush me this much."

Somehow Seongwu got the gist of the situation right away. There was something so painful about watching heartbreak as it unfurled, as if he were the one feeling the rush of emotions for Minhyun. Seongwu wanted to take some of that pain away from him, to take some of that hurt to stop Minhyun from completely crumbling in front of him.

"I'm sorry," Seongwu said weakly, though he didn't know what he should be sorry for. Was he sorry that Minhyun had to go through this? Was he sorry that he was here beside him instead of Jonghyun? Then again, he wasn't sure if Minhyun even wanted to see Jonghyun or if he was ready to see him. That repulsive scent was stuck in Seongwu's thoughts; it must have been gutting for both of them to have that conversation. "Something tells me this isn't the first time this has happened to you though."

Minhyun found it in himself to chuckle at that. "Happens every time. So many times. Every time we talk about this, I tell myself I should give it up, but I never could. Always felt like he was keeping something from me or not giving me a chance when we both know that— that there's something _special_ about us. But now I know." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I should have given up long ago. I'm done with it."

Seongwu's thoughts stopped. "You're… done?"

"With Jonghyun. With expecting anything else. I'm—" Minhyun rubbed his eyes and grit his teeth. "I don't want to lose my best friend, you know? And I'm really, really fucking tired of getting hurt."

"I get that, yeah." Minhyun's words felt like they were incomplete, like there was a piece of the story he wasn't telling Seongwu yet. Or maybe it was a part that he didn't even know about, a side that he wasn't seeing. They sat in silence for a little while longer until Seongwu felt Minhyun leaning against his shoulder, a fresh batch of tears streaming down his face. Seongwu had no words left, nothing that would even come close to placating Minhyun's… devastation? Heartbreak? What did it feel like to be constantly rejected by someone who you loved?

Seongwu pulled him closer until Minhyun was almost lying down on him. It must have been uncomfortable, and though they had gotten much closer now, they never expressed that physically. Seongwu was tired too, honestly, so he didn't notice that they actually were lying down on each other until he was staring at the ceiling with Minhyun's big head resting on his arm, making the tips of his fingers numb. "Hey, move—"

"I think I'll get some space for a while," said Minhyun, disrupting Seongwu's complaints with the gravity of his tone, "maybe stay at my sister's place for a while."

"Your sister's here? I didn't know you had family in Seoul."

Minhyun smiled for the first time since Seongwu saw him tonight, and it made Seongwu feel the lightest flutter in his stomach. "She transferred to a university here, a little far from ours but it's good enough. I just… think it's better for both of us to not be around each other for now." Minhyun turned to face Seongwu, and Seongwu's heart ached at the sadness in Minhyun's eyes. "And I think it's better for you too. I'm sorry you have to get caught up in the middle of this."

"It's not—" Seongwu wasn't sure of his next words. 'It's not like that,' was the first thing in his mind, but he felt more like saying, "It's not something I can just ignore." Minhyun blinked at Seongwu. "You're my friends. I care."

Minhyun looked stunned for a moment, then he went back to facing the ceiling. "I… misjudged you."

"Naturally," Seongwu huffed. "I'm a born actor."

Minhyun hit Seongwu's chest in annoyance, but Seongwu knew he appreciated how Seongwu tried to make the atmosphere a little lighter. "I meant… I really thought you were an ass. Turns out I was more of that than you were, and that you were right. I wasn't treating Jonghyun the way he wanted to be treated. I'm grateful that you were able to get in his head better than I ever could have." Minhyun played with the cuff of his hoodie. "I don't know if he'll be that broken up about me leaving for a while, but I'm really glad that he has you here."

"I'll take care of him," said Seongwu, though that didn't give him the response that he expected. "Is that what you wanted me to say?"

"No," Minhyun whispered. He was staring at the ceiling, but he was looking somewhere farther away, somewhere peaceful for his mind. Seongwu felt that in the calmness of his voice and in the weight of his body against Seongwu's. "He can take care of himself. I know that now."

 

 

———

 

 

Seongwu wasn't too fond of the coffee that they had in the cupboards—neither of the two could stomach anything that wasn't completely drowned in sugar _and_ creamer—but he desperately downed the cup he made for himself as he sat on the bedroom floor and stared at the gaping hole in their cabinet. When Minhyun told him he was going to leave for a while, Seongwu didn't think that meant essentially moving out and leaving a Minhyun-shaped imprint in their household.

He leaned on the kitchen counter and absentmindedly started drying dishes, dishes that Minhyun washed before leaving— bless his soul, really—when Jonghyun got up and out of his bed, looking kind of shitty but smelling a lot better than he did last night. There was less distress in his body, and that gave Seongwu hope that maybe they had talked it out somehow before Minhyun decided to take that little break. "Good morning," said Seongwu, testing the waters.

"Hey there." Jonghyun yawned. He saw the stack of washed dishes on their rack and smiled softly. "Early morning?"

"Oh these? Minhyun washed them." Seongwu didn't meet his eyes and kept them on the plate he was placing by his side. Jonghyun rubbed his eyes and walked to the schedule on their fridge. _So you don't know? There's nothing there,_ Seongwu wanted to tell him.

"He doesn't have a class or a shift," Jonghyun mumbled, but now he kept his eyes on the ground and refused to look at Seongwu. "Do you know where he is?"

Seongwu debated against telling him, but it's not like Jonghyun was the type to dramatically run over there and beg for Minhyun to come back. "He's at his sister's place."

Jonghyun snorted. "His sister's? I'm surprised he's still willing to go back there, seeing as last time he came to visit," Jonghyun leaned forward as if there were others waiting to overhear, "he caught his sister coming home with—you'll never guess— _Aron._ "

That made Seongwu burst into laughter, clutching his stomach as he imagined Minhyun's mortification at seeing his _sister_ with one of his _friends._ Seongwu would have blown a gasket. "Yeah, well, hopefully he won't have to encounter that situation very often—" Seongwu stopped himself as he noticed Jonghyun's smile slowly falling.

"'Often'? Minhyun… isn't just visiting?" He walked to their cupboards and stared at the empty spot where Minhyun's usual mug used to sit, and Seongwu felt the atmosphere change as Jonghyun processed what he thought was happening. "… Did he tell you what happened?"

Seongwu shrugged. "I got the gist of it." He stood beside Jonghyun and placed an arm on his shoulder, one that was quickly brushed away. "I don't need to know the details. What he told me was that he needed space. So did you. He'll be back."

"He better be," Jonghyun mumbled. "Whose side are you on?"

Seongwu shook his head. "No one's. Or, well, both of your sides, I guess. I just feel like you both have your reasons and you're both trying to protect each other, but both of you are also being stupid." He observed Jonghyun's face and the way his bottom lip was quivering. "Minhyun said this happened before. Is this not how you two usually get through this?"

"We always… pretended that things were okay," said Jonghyun, eyes wistful and longing. "I think now I'm starting to understand why that was a bad idea from the very beginning."

 

 

———

 

 

Minhyun talked to Seongwu a lot in the three weeks that he was gone. Though they texted and occasionally met up in between classes, Seongwu could honestly say that he missed him, missed his scent in the bedroom that felt barer—and messier—than Seongwu could handle. The nights were quieter too, and it pained Seongwu to admit that he missed their late-night conversations and the way Minhyun's babbling always helped him drift to sleep.

The loss was more noticeable in other places in the apartment, specifically the cloud that was hanging over Jonghyun's head. He liked to pretend that he was okay, that he missed Minhyun but was patient and sure that he would come back and things were okay, that he didn't care about whatever confrontation they had and just wanted things to go back to normal. But Seongwu knew that if it was bad enough for Minhyun to decide to distance himself from the rest of them, it wasn't something that they could just brush away.

At least it gave Seongwu the opportunity to really get close to Jonghyun and understand him. How could he be so gentle yet so strong? How did he have so many people wrapped around his finger without even being aware of it? They spent more time around each other, more spontaneous dinners out of the house and silent bus rides and outings with Seongwu's group of friends and Jonghyun's group of friends where they dragged each other along to keep them from being alone. Seongwu never needed to take care of Jonghyun; he just needed to be there. It was peaceful.

… until one day, when Seongwu caught Jonghyun staring at an envelope as he sat on the couch. "Hey," Seongwu took off his shoes and left his bag on the dining table, "you okay?"

Jonghyun lifted the envelope and dropped it back on the table. "From Minhyun. His share of this month's rent. Said he was coming back in a few days."

Seongwu's mouth opened in a pretty little circle as he recalled his recent conversations with Minhyun. He never indicated when he was coming back, but he was glad that it was sooner rather than later. With Jonghyun's expression right now, however, Seongwu was starting to think that Jonghyun didn't think the same way. "Did he just leave it or—"

"He dropped by." Seongwu then understood the expression on Jonghyun's face; it was confliction and confusion and _regret_ and many other emotions that Seongwu couldn't quite place. That was exactly what Jonghyun was feeling at the moment.

"Did you have a good talk?" asked Seongwu, though he was walking on eggshells here.

He knew from the flat line of Jonghyun's lips that the answer would be a dejected, "No." Jonghyun laced his fingers together and squeezed tightly, as if he could wring out the tension that was threatening to snap him in half. Seongwu sat beside him and placed his hand over Jonghyun's, urging him to stop before he actually hurt himself. "I asked if he was okay. He said things could be better, but he wanted to come home."

"That… seemed okay," Seongwu said.

"It did. If you were there and had heard and seen everything, it would all have seemed okay." Jonghyun was fighting the quiver in his voice. "I hugged him because I missed him. He hugged back. It would have been a great ending if I couldn't smell the sadness radiating off him, like he was still broken and I knew that was _my fault._ "

Seongwu's brows furrowed. "You're not responsible for how he feels. You handled your side of the story as well as you could—"

"I didn't, Seongwu." The tears in Jonghyun's eyes seemed to be telling Seongwu that he was finally going to figure out the missing piece of this story that he had been wondering about for the past three weeks. "I lied to Minhyun. I told him that I didn't want anything to do with him in that way, but I'm— I'm just a fucking idiot, Seongwu." Jonghyun laughed, bitter and pained and furious entirely at himself. "I haven't stopped thinking about him since he left. Now that he's coming back… I still don't know what I'm going to do."

Seongwu didn't know if Jonghyun was laughing or crying at this point, and he accidentally found himself in a similar position as he was in a few weeks ago, except the person in his arms was the exact person his first therapy patient was crying over.

He didn't know if he was honestly shocked to be here, though. Maybe Jonghyun was just the type to not show it, the type to keep his feelings hidden deep as to not burden others with it, especially if he didn't know what to do with them. Maybe this was to be expected though; the fact that Jonghyun put up with Minhyun after everything easily spoke volumes of how much he actually cared.

"I'm so stupid! And indecisive! And I _hurt_ him, Seongwu." Jonghyun winced as his voice cracked. "I hurt Minhyun, and even if I've made the conclusion that maybe I never loved him as _just_ a friend, I still can't make that decision or apologize to him for leading him on this entire time."

"Why isn't it easy, Jonghyun? Why can't you just say you love him and get all of this over with?" Seongwu felt bad for the impatience in his voice, but he was getting a little frustrated with these two. Why the hell was he caught in the middle of all this drama again?

"Because for some damn reason, I can't imagine being in that kind of relationship with him. Because it will change _so many things,_ even if we promise that nothing much will change. I don't want things to be different between us, but I _do_ , but still— ugh!" Jonghyun groaned and leaned back on the couch. Seongwu didn't know what to say. It was easy to tell him to be decisive, to just go for it, to risk their friendship for a relationship that might actually work.

"I want it to be easy. Why can't anything _ever_ be easy?"

Seongwu had a lot of philosophical, cliché things he could say, but the truth was that _he didn't know._ He didn't know how to live a life that wasn't easy. Sure, he had little squabbles and moments of disappointment and people that made things difficult for him, but he never had to deal with a situation where he didn't understand what he wanted and why he couldn't just go for it. He was stubborn and assertive, and most of the time, that worked for him.

Jonghyun stood up and wiped away the few tears that managed to escape his iron grip on his emotions. "Let's go out. Let's get some drinks or something."

Seongwu raised an eyebrow. "That's sudden. And also a bad idea, might I say."

Jonghyun shrugged. "I literally cannot manage to make good choices right now, so I'm going to need you to be a good friend and—"

"Keep you from doing anything stupid?"

Jonghyun laughed and pushed Seongwu's shoulder back as he passed by. "No, I need you to keep me from _completely_ fucking myself up. But I also kind of need someone to encourage me to do things in the first place, so…"

Seongwu sighed and followed Jonghyun to the nearest bar they could find, one that was quiet enough for them not to lose each other but loud enough for Seongwu to not hear Jonghyun's thoughts and how they still consumed his mind even after he downed shot after shot. Jonghyun was… not a heavy drinker, but Seongwu suddenly saw his capacity to _really_ push himself if he wanted to. Seongwu laughed as Jonghyun almost spilled their drinks as he walked to their table, but Seongwu was getting drunk enough to stop worrying about Jonghyun and just start enjoying his night. That was the point of this, right?

Unfortunately for them, other people had other ideas of what _fun_ was supposed to be, and Seongwu found himself growling as a group of assholes surrounded Jonghyun before he could reach their table. "What the fuck?" Jonghyun asked, legs swaying as he tried to avoid the guy in front of him and stumbled against the one behind him.

"Hey, aren't you a sweet thing?" The one behind him leaned forward and breathed deeply beside Jonghyun's ear. "Oh, that's a _good_ scent on you, babe—"

"Fuck off," Seongwu said as he walked towards them and took his drink from Jonghyun, downing the shot quickly so he could free up his hands for a fight if necessary.

Another guy, one that snuck up behind Seongwu, smiled and squeezed his ass. "What, is this one your bitch? Tell him to be careful; he's a homing device for all the horny fucks in this club right now." The group laughed before leaving them with a bitter taste in their mouths and the strong desire to get the hell out of there.

"What a nightmare," Seongwu mumbled as they walked back to the apartment. Jonghyun just laughed, surprisingly not as affected as Seongwu expected him to be. "Something funny?"

"It's nothing, really. I just… felt like punching them in the face, right? But I knew that I'm more likely to break my wrist than get a decent fist on them." Jonghyun was giggling now, and Seongwu found himself following along, not really understanding drunk Jonghyun's train of thought.

"Didn't you punch your boss in the face, and that's how I ended up here?"

Jonghyun's eyes widened, and he held Seongwu's forearm as he laughed and stumbled along the sidewalk. "I almost forgot that happened, _wow._ My boss was a puny alpha though; even your weak ass could take him on."

"Hey! I'm— I'm _fit,_ " Seongwu tried to argue, but Jonghyun was too busy laughing to even hear him out. "Ass."

"My ass is flat, thank you very much," said Jonghyun, finally calming down to breathe deeply. The night air was getting a little bit more bearable, but Seongwu still found himself huddling against Jonghyun as they walked to share warmth. "Honestly, what do those people expect when they hit on me like that? Do they expect me to trip and suck their dicks out of nowhere?"

Seongwu snorted. "That's a really ugly image."

"Exactly," Jonghyun drawled. "It's not like I would do casual sex anyway, especially not with people who think they can actually pick someone up with those creepy as fuck techniques in a club."

"Wait a fucking minute." Seongwu's filter turned off completely as a thought entered his mind. "Okay, so be honest with me. If you don't fuck casually, are you or are you not still a virgin?"

Jonghyun choked on his spit and shoved Seongwu to the side, an incredulous laugh bubbling up his throat. "What kind of question is _that?_ "

"It's a good question that's coming from a good place. I'm curious!" Seongwu whined. Jonghyun tried to run to their apartment building, but Seongwu held him back and made him almost trip right before the last pedestrian stoplight.

Jonghyun narrowed his eyes at Seongwu. "Stay curious."

 _"Hey!"_ Seongwu pleaded. "I'm _genuinely_ concerned." Seongwu tried batting his lashes at Jonghyun, but he only managed to blink quickly before something got into his eye and Jonghyun had to hold his face and blow into it until Seongwu wiped a tear from his eye and held Jonghyun's gaze. "I'm serious; I want to know."

Jonghyun looked down and covered Seongwu's ears before mumbling, "… I never said I was a virgin."

"Oh my god." Seongwu's eyes widened. " _Oh my god."_ Jonghyun groaned and let go of Seongwu's face. They took their time walking towards the apartment building now; Jonghyun took the lead with shaky steps, and Seongwu pursued with determination etched into his glassy eyes. _Ugh,_ the alcohol was a _very_ bad idea. "Okay, next. Was it someone I know?"

"I am _not_ telling," Jonghyun insisted, but Seongwu… was a man of persistence.

"I will take the leap and assume that it wasn't Minhyun."

"Oh, definitely not him," Jonghyun mumbled, and for a moment, Seongwu felt like he fucked up, like a bucket of cold water just fell on them. Then again, if Seongwu was drunk, Jonghyun was even worse off, and he was too grateful for that. "Don't mention the guy when I'm trying to get shitface drunk just to forget him."

"Okay, okay, I'm _sorry._ " Seongwu raised his hands in defeat and pouted at Jonghyun. He received an eye roll and another groan which Seongwu chose to interpret as a sign of forgiveness. "Back to more important matters… so who's the lucky man?" Seongwu paused. "— Or woman, I don't judge."

Jonghyun's expression was unreadable under the street light, but Seongwu could smell the mortification from his pheromones, the embarrassment that made him smell even sweeter than usual. "… Please don't laugh."

"You know, when someone says, 'don't laugh,' I am a hundred times more likely to crack up," Seongwu said matter-of-factly, "so _spill._ "

Jonghyun made a sound that was between a whine and a sob— mostly a sob. He tried walking a little faster, running up the stairwell, but Seongwu easily caught up to him and held him by the wrist. "… Hyunbin."

If Seongwu's eyes could have fallen out of his head, they _definitely_ would have at this point. " _Kwon Hyunbin?_ You let _Hyunbin_ fuck you—or the other way around, I really don't judge— _really?_ "

 _"Shut up!"_ Jonghyun hissed, attempting to stomp on Seongwu's foot but completely missing the mark and almost falling down the stairs in a pathetic series of events.

"How could I?" Seongwu's voice was rising with the laughter that threatened to make him fall back and roll down the stairs with Jonghyun. "Oh my god, you really did _that?_ Come on, Jonghyun; you could have done better."

"Look," Jonghyun put his foot down and glared at Seongwu, "he smelled me about to go into heat, took me home, and offered to do it out of the kindness of his heart. My heat-addled brain thought that was a _lovely_ idea." Jonghyun squeezed his eyes shut and sighed deeply. "I'm… starting to see why that was _not_ good at all."

Seongwu groaned and made an X sign with his fingers. "Don't spare any more details, but please tell me: was he clingy?" He snorted at the thought. "Did you have pillow talk? Did he expect more?"

" _God,_ no. He left when my heat broke, and we don't talk about it anymore." He raised a hand as he felt Seongwu's next wave of teasing about to come. _"I don't want to talk about it anymore!"_

"Really though, Jonghyun, you could have done better. Not like I know who your friends were before I arrived, but—" Seongwu hummed, a thought crossing his mind. "Actually, I would have been a great choice for the role of occasional heat breaker."

It was Jonghyun's turn to snort. "Like I'd believe that or willfully do it with you."

"Hey, that's offensive to me! I'm a great option!" Seongwu whined. "Very casual—if that's what you want—and totally willing to give you a great time."

Jonghyun rolled his eyes. "Uh, sure, believe that."

They stopped in front of the apartment door. Jonghyun was swaying, and he leaned back against the wood when his world started spinning again. "Why don't you believe me?" Seongwu asked, softly this time. There was something… _dangerous_ about this situation, something that told Seongwu that he should stop before he got carried away.

"Because you're Ong Seongwu," Jonghyun said simply, as if that were a reasonable explanation. Was that Jonghyun's primary character fault? His complete inability to justify his actions and decisions?

"And what's that supposed to mean, huh?" Seongwu narrowed his eyes and poked Jonghyun's chest.

"It means I don't fuck with you." Jonghyun heaved a big sigh, releasing some of the tension on his shoulders. When he opened his eyes, Seongwu was still staring at him with an unreadable expression.

"Because? Because I'm your roommate?" Seongwu was pushing, prodding at Jonghyun's thoughts. He could feel Jonghyun's headache already forming, but Seongwu needed to know if Jonghyun was capable of giving him an answer that he wanted.

There was stubbornness in the set of his jaw, in his refusal to meet Seongwu's eyes. "Because you said it yourself— everything's just casual to you."

"I never said that, unless that's what you want," Seongwu said lowly, leaning forward to finally get Jonghyun's attention. "Unless… you're holding back because you'd rather have something serious. Or you already _do_."

Jonghyun winced and looked away. "Minhyun has _nothing_ to do with me not wanting to fuck you, Seongwu."

Seongwu raised an eyebrow. "I never mentioned any names."

"Well, let's stop pretending to be oblivious about it, not that I owe Minhyun anything or need to be—" Jonghyun struggled to find the right word, " _faithful_ to him or something. Just don't…" Jonghyun groaned and hit his fist against the wood behind him. "Don't play with me."

Seongwu was playing with fire now, and his stupidity made him reach out to it, to touch Jonghyun's cheek with a finger and watch as his eyes widened. "Why is it so hard to believe that I'm being honest? That I want you?"

That… came out of nowhere for Seongwu. Deep inside, he was laughing at himself, laughing at the situation, laughing at how Jonghyun's shoulders were pressed against the door because he wanted to get his face away from Seongwu's but his legs were opening up to let Seongwu step even closer. There was something so _absurd_ about this, and Seongwu's drunk ass couldn't be bothered to try and figure it out. He was too busy with the blood rushing to Jonghyun's cheeks as his touch turned from a finger gently tracing his jaw to a thumb brushing over the corner of his mouth.

"You just want me because I'm an omega," Jonghyun hissed through his teeth, not wanting to let any more of his breathy voice come out.

" _Come on,_ let's not be oblivious about it," Seongwu said in an almost mocking tone. "Yeah, you smell absolutely fucking fantastic, sure. But that's not what I want. I'm a little hurt that you'd think I would want you for anything other than just _you._ "

Jonghyun's breath was caught in his throat; Seongwu knew because he couldn't feel Jonghyun's weak pants against his chin anymore, and Jonghyun took that chance to look away completely. "You… are drunk."

Seongwu stepped back to laugh in the open air, his big, bellowing voice echoing in the hallway. "Oh, come on, Jonghyun. _You're_ drunk too!" Seongwu grinned and cupped Jonghyun's neck with both hands. "You said— you _knew_ that that you were going to make a shit ton of bad decisions tonight. Let me be yours," he dipped down and brushed their noses against each other, until the back of Jonghyun's head was trying to dig into the wood of the door while his hands were busy gripping Seongwu's waist, "because I really, really want _you_ to be mine tonight."

 _"Oh, fuck,"_ was all Jonghyun was able to say before he moved forward just the slightest bit and pressed their lips together, sloppy and uncoordinated and not fitting anywhere close to right, but it was so fucking _good_ anyway. Seongwu couldn't remember much because he was too busy trying to open their front door, trying to keep Jonghyun from completely falling apart before they even reached the bedroom.

It was obvious that there was something strange in the air as Jonghyun pushed Seongwu against the wall and slipped his hands under his shirt, digging his nails into his waist. Seongwu hissed, nosing at the soft skin under Jonghyun's ear to keep himself from completely losing his mind, although the scent of Jonghyun clinging to him seemed to achieve that effect anyway.

"Bedroom," Seongwu whispered. Jonghyun nodded his assent and led Seongwu backwards to his room, not wasting a moment before pulling him down onto the bed and wrapping his arms around Seongwu's neck. Using Jonghyun's bedroom was probably the smartest thing they did tonight; they were both drunk but still aware enough to know that marking this apartment with aroused scents was going to be a _pain_ to cover up.

 _Cover up._ A twinge of guilt invaded Seongwu's thoughts, and he pulled back from Jonghyun's lips for a moment. "The hell?" Jonghyun panted, now wrapping his legs around Seongwu's hips and pulling him down to grind against him, to make him feel just how fucking aroused he was. Seongwu groaned and supported his body with the heel of his palm on the space beside Jonghyun's head. "Get down here," Jonghyun mumbled, though his eyes were too glassy and too far away for Seongwu to really read into.

Seongwu felt a chill in his bones, something that made him silently observe as Jonghyun whined and writhed from beneath him. He was shaking—they were _both_ shaking—and Seongwu didn't know if it was because of plain arousal or the sinking feeling in his stomach that told him what they were doing was _wrong_ somehow or that weird, weird sensation in the atmosphere of this room, one that felt like a pillow smothering all of Seongwu's senses except for touch and his desperate need for more, more, _more_ of it.

Jonghyun's eyes widened before he put down his legs and gently pushed Seongwu away, panic tainting his movements and causing him to shudder when Seongwu tried to reach out and hold him to calm him down. "You have to… you have to go, Seongwu. You can't be here." Jonghyun was swallowing hard, and he kept shaking his head as Seongwu tried to at least ask _what the hell was going on?_ "I can't have— I can't breathe, _please go._ "

Seongwu took one look at his wide-blown eyes and heated cheeks and the shaking that seemed to stem from his knees, and he knew that this wasn't just Jonghyun changing his mind. "I'm sorry," Seongwu tried to say. "Is it my fault—"

 _"Just go!"_ Jonghyun yelled, finally finding the strength to push Seongwu out and close the door in his face.

Seongwu stood outside his door, stunned and lost as he processed the events of the night; apparently getting turned on beyond belief then immediately shut out was a very sobering experience. First of all, what the _fuck_ was he even thinking, _hitting on Jonghyun?_ Every other fuck up of his life seemed to pale in comparison to the mere idea of what would have happened if they went through with that, if their drunk asses didn't get their shit together before completely ruining the dynamics within this household.

Second, what kind of asshole was he, _hitting on Jonghyun when he knew his roommate was desperately in love with him?_ If they were being honest with each other, Jonghyun felt the same too. Seongwu felt like throwing up; was he really about to be _that_ guy?

Seongwu swayed as he made his way to his room, almost dreading the day when he would wake up and see Minhyun again and _know_ what he did— or was about to do, seeing as nothing actually happened. His dinner and all the crap he drank was starting to come up his throat again, but Seongwu couldn't be bothered to take care of himself tonight, allowing the sickening feelings and the heaviness of his body to drag him into bed and into a deep, deep sleep with dreams of warmth and heat and chills that filled him with something akin to _regret_.

 

 

———

 

 

"My god," Seongwu heard a voice piercing through the swamp of his hangover, "what happened here?" Seongwu attempted to open his eyes, but all he saw was Minhyun staring helplessly at the pile of clothes that Seongwu promised to clean up before Minhyun got back. He didn't think he'd be here so _soon._

Seongwu rolled over and buried his head under the pillows. "Too early," he mumbled.

"I can't hear you, stupid." He could hear Minhyun's stupid laugh from across the room, and Seongwu found himself smiling against the mattress until he felt it dip beside him and felt a hand on the back of his neck, tickling him slightly. "You're a mess."

"I'm glad you noticed," Seongwu said when he turned his head to the side and smiled at Minhyun. "Missed you."

"Sap." Minhyun flicked Seongwu's forehead and laughed softly before cupping Seongwu's cheek and attempting to blow him a kiss. Seongwu groaned and rolled out of his grasp, but he immediately regretted that as his world spun around with him. It stopped as soon as his eyes focused on Minhyun— Minhyun, his _roommate_ who was gone for _three whole weeks_ , was now sitting on his bed, sitting in his space, filling up the imprint he left in this room, albeit a little more tired than the image Seongwu had in his mind.

Minhyun leaned back and lied down on Seongwu's legs, ignoring how Seongwu's bony knee tried to break his spine. "Stop moving," Minhyun grumbled. "Also you smell like shit."

"Oh, wow, nothing but kind words in this fine morning, huh?" Seongwu used a pillow to shield his eyes from the sunlight streaming in past the curtains. What time was it even? And what time did he manage to pass out here in the first place?

"Were you out drinking again? This entire place… smells funny," said Minhyun, though his tone seemed a little off, a little quieter than usual. "What did I miss out on?"

That was what gave Seongwu the urge to puke, the urge to _run._ There were flashes of last night, bits and pieces of a story that he knew he couldn't keep to himself for long. Did he really— did they almost… _fuck._ Seongwu didn't know if he felt like burning up because of shame or because—

"You're right," whispered Seongwu, "there is something weird about the air."

"Broken heater?" Minhyun stood up and observed the vent at the side. "Would have been nice it if were this warm when it was actually winter."

"I don't think—" Seongwu sat up slowly and immediately regretted not drinking enough water before passing out last night. "It's abnormally hot in here." And then there were more things keeping Seongwu from thinking clearly. It felt like… a hangover, but worse. Seongwu felt it in his head, felt it simmering beneath his skin, felt his mouth dry up and his body itch for something he couldn't quite place.

Minhyun cleared his throat, but with the way he uncomfortably shifted around, Seongwu knew it wasn't just to get his attention; he was feeling it too, and certainly not from the heater right beside him. "Breakfast?" asked Minhyun.

"Gladly," said Seongwu.

When Seongwu finally managed to stand up and open the door, his knees grew weak at that _sensation_ completely flooding his senses, leaving him even warmer and more confused than before. Minhyun was waiting in the kitchen, and Seongwu jumped back in surprise when Minhyun dropped a plate in the sink as he was pulling it out. "Shit, I'm sorry," Minhyun mumbled. "My hands… they, uh, can't stop shaking."

Minhyun tried to brush it off with laughter, but they both felt the wave of… _pleasure_ pulse through the apartment. At once, they knew what was going on. "A heat," Seongwu whispered. "Jonghyun is in heat."

Their eyes mirrored each other's panic as they felt that heat churning in their bodies, leaving… distasteful thoughts, among others. Seongwu tried to approach Jonghyun's bedroom, but each step made his body feel like it was walking in quicksand, sinking him deeper and deeper into thoughts that he didn't want to indulge or even voice out.

"Uh, does this happen often?" Seongwu asked in an attempt to seem unaffected. He didn't have to; it wasn't like Minhyun was his most composed either.

"No, actually. Jonghyun doesn't have it often; that's why he doesn't take suppressants. I think I've only witnessed it once, and," Minhyun shuddered, "I don't want to talk about it."

Seongwu snorted. "You know the story with Hyunbin?"

"How do _you_ know that?" Minhyun's eyes narrowed at him, but they both grimaced at the thought and shook it off. "He said it usually gets triggered by extreme emotional stress. Or extreme arousal." Minhyun ran his fingers through his hair. "I knew I shouldn't have come back."

"No, it's not—" Seongwu choked. Minhyun regarded him with curiosity, confusion. This was the Minhyun that Seongwu knew: the one that cared a lot and cared too much and deserved _better_. If Seongwu kept talking, if he told the truth, would Minhyun look at him the same way? Objectively speaking, he had no right to, no claim over Jonghyun in any way, but humans were anything but objective. Seongwu would just have to try.

"It's not…?" Minhyun prodded.

Seongwu sighed and leaned back on the counter. "It's not entirely your fault," was all he could say for now, at least until the expression on Minhyun's face went from completely shocked to completely hostile to completely blank, waiting for Seongwu to continue. The ball was in his court, and Seongwu couldn't help but want to run away.

"What happened while I was gone?" Minhyun asked. Seongwu saw him swallow and knew that he was afraid of whatever answer he was going to get. It was okay; Seongwu was afraid of this conversation too.

There were many ways Seongwu could approach this. He could try appealing to Minhyun's emotions, try to paint Jonghyun as a victim, try to portray himself as a repentant sinner, but he knew that there was no point. There were events that happened and facts that could be drawn from those and a version of the story that was written from his perspective. Minhyun deserved that.

"Last night, we went out. Jonghyun was…" Seongwu debated against saying that Jonghyun had a complete emotional breakdown over his epiphany regarding his romantic feelings for Minhyun, so he settled for, "really stressed and weird all day."

"It's because of me, right?" Minhyun looked pitiful. "I know it's because of me."

"I can't lie to you— yeah, your coming back put him in a position where… he didn't know what to do." This wasn't helping the situation. "Not because he hated you or didn't want you back. It's… more complicated than that."

Minhyun scoffed. "Isn't it always? Go on."

"Jonghyun asked me to come with him and have some drinks. I knew it was a bad idea because of how distressed he was when I first saw him, but I came with him to at least make sure he was going to be okay. He… went at it pretty intensely. Even ended up attracting some assholes that tried to harass him, but he blew them off and we went home a little earlier than expected."

Minhyun stopped him. "Just tell me what happened. The fact that you didn't dwell on that part… tells me that that's not what the issue is."

"Yeah." Seongwu's throat dried up. "We were really, really drunk. We kissed." Seongwu watched as Minhyun's face fell. "We were about to— to sleep together, but we barely got anywhere before Jonghyun froze up and threw me out. Nothing— nothing happened, Minhyun."

"I know," he said flatly. "I would have at least sensed that."

Even the recent wave of Jonghyun's pheromones couldn't have broken the silence between them. For Seongwu, it was a mix of shame and hesitation that kept him from saying anything else, not that he had much else to say. He said his side of the story. He gave his piece, no apology in sight because he didn't know _what_ to apologize for. 'Sorry I made a dick move'? What they—not just Seongwu, Jonghyun included—did was wrong, _maybe,_ but this little stubborn voice in Seongwu's head told him to stand his ground until further notice.

For Minhyun, it was like a blow out of nowhere, coming to strike at the worst time possible. Seongwu, his roommate, who he considered as a friend… who was he now? And did Minhyun have the right to hold this against him as… what? A _betrayal?_ What kind of petty ass would he be if he chose to see it like that?

"Is this… a recent development?" Minhyun asked, voice low and quiet. It wasn't because he was angry. It wasn't because he was hurt. It was because he was trying _so desperately_ not to ruin this day even further, not to make this house into a warzone of pheromones or just someplace completely uninhabitable. It was because Seongwu was his _friend_ who was _drunk_ and kissed the person he _loved._ Maybe he didn't want to… _throw that all away_ until he got all the facts straight.

"Yeah, it was just… we were drunk," Seongwu had his eyes trained on the ground, "and if I'm being honest, I think I smelled the heat on him without even knowing it. I— Minhyun." Seongwu stepped forward, but Minhyun held him back with a low growl in his throat. "Minhyun, I don't want you to think that I did this on purpose to hurt you— or that _we_ did it on purpose. Because I wouldn't. Jonghyun… would _never_ want to hurt you."

Minhyun scoffed. "Don't speak for him. He's done it countless times before you even got here."

"No, you don't understand, Minhyun—"

"What don't I understand?" Minhyun's voice was rising now, and he felt the atmosphere in the room thicken even further. This was _exactly_ what he was afraid of, but he couldn't stop that hurt from leaking into his voice, leaking into the way it cracked as he tried to speak again. "I don't— I can't pretend that I'm not affected by this. That it _stings_ because it came from _you,_ from _both of you._ "

Seongwu groaned in frustration. "Look! We— _I fucked up._ I'll take the responsibility for it; Jonghyun was going into heat, and I don't need to use him as a shield so you'll soften your blows. I'm _sorry,_ okay? But trust me when I say that people— people can fuck up, Minhyun! It happens! And that's what happened last night, and it doesn't mean it's a personal attack on you.

"And I— I regret it, Minhyun. Completely. I regret hurting you, and I regret causing _this._ " Seongwu motioned towards the entire apartment situation. He squeezed his eyes shut when his headache pulsed in his skull, worsened by how he had to raise his voice just to hear himself through the cotton in his ears. Minhyun looked like he was struggling too, struggling to think, struggling to breathe.

The stalemate was broken by the faint sound of sobs coming from Jonghyun's room. It was like a bucket of cold water dropped on Minhyun's head, and he was hit with the annoying realization that he couldn't help but _care_ when it came to Jonghyun. Despite the drama, despite the bullshit… they were friends, right? Above everything else?

"Jonghyun!" Minhyun called out. He braved the quicksand and walked towards the door. "Locked," he mumbled to himself. "Jonghyun, are you still okay?"

 _"Go away!"_ Jonghyun yelled from within. Minhyun heard him walking, heard something fall to the floor, heard Jonghyun curse under his breath. All he could go by was his sense of hearing and Jonghyun's pheromones almost _begging_ him to come in, to ease the pain. _Pain._ Minhyun knew Jonghyun was in pain, but he was just as helpless as Jonghyun. _"Please… I can still feel you. Just… leave. Please leave me."_

Minhyun bit his lip and turned around to see Seongwu now standing closer, concern etched in his features. Because he cared too. He had a right to; he should. "I think… I'll go nurse my hangover somewhere else," Seongwu said quietly, afraid to rock the boat any further. Minhyun observed how he clenched his fists behind his back— Minhyun could tell from the stiffness of his arms. Staying here wouldn't be good for any of them.

"That's a good idea. I'll go pick up some more things from my sister's place," said Minhyun. Before Seongwu could hide in the bathroom until Minhyun went away, he held Seongwu back by grabbing his wrist loosely, afraid to make it seem like he wanted to hurt Seongwu now. "I'm sorry— for overreacting. But I can't be sorry for feeling the way I do."

"I know, Minhyun." Seongwu wasn't cocky about it, wasn't gloating and glowing with Minhyun's apology. He was meeting him halfway. "I'm sorry for fucking up in the first place."

"I know," whispered Minhyun. "This… _situation_ is unfair to all of us," he looked back up, straight into Seongwu's eyes, "but I don't want to be unfair to you. For now, let's just try to deal with this heat."

"And then when things go back to normal?"

Minhyun chuckled, and though things only started spiraling downwards a few minutes ago, Seongwu already missed his soft smile. "Things were never normal; we just didn't know it would blow up like this."

"Then we'll just have to figure out what normal is supposed to be. Eventually." Seongwu smiled and gently shook Minhyun's hand away.

Naturally, they were both right. The status quo was void now, impossible to return to. There were too many realizations, too many confessions, too much lost time, too much distance between each of them for things to ever go back to how they were. The heat in the air was from more than just Jonghyun's pheromones; they were too damn close to the boiling point, and something was bound to blow over or blow up.

 

 

———

 

 

It was _not_ about to blow over. No, no, _no,_ definitely not as Minhyun came home to someone in their hallway yelling loud enough to be heard from the stairwell and a group of people rushing down the stairs as Seongwu chased them out and stopped to stare at Minhyun staring up at him. "Hi?" said Minhyun. "What… was that?"

Seongwu sighed. "Bunch of kids got a whiff of Jonghyun from the _street,_ Minhyun. Found a way to get up here and looked for him, banging on the door as if they could fucking help." He was eating his words now, fury dripping straight out. "I'm glad I got here before anything bad happened."

"From outside? Are you serious; it hasn't gotten any better?" Minhyun winced as he approached their front door. The heat was almost _palpable_ now, making both of them weak in the knees as they entered and quickly shut the door behind them before anyone else got a whiff of Jonghyun. "We need— turn off the vents, Seongwu. We can't let this spread any further."

"Are you sure? We'll be hotboxing omega pheromones until this ends, Minhyun. That's…" Seongwu's eyes were wide with panic. "That's _dangerous._ For all of us."

j"Look, we don't have much of a choice." Minhyun paused in front of Jonghyun's door. From outside, they could hear Jonghyun whining, the bed creaking from beneath him as… well, they didn't want to imagine it anymore.

Or they did. If they were painfully, brutally honest with themselves, the thought of Jonghyun in there right now, coupled with his sweet scent wafting from the tiny wedge under the door, was enough for both of them to satisfy themselves right then and there. But it made them feel _sick_ to want Jonghyun like that, knowing that his need for pleasure was causing him pain, knowing that the sweetness of his scent must have been so thick and suffocating from inside his room.

"Jonghyun," Minhyun said as he knocked on the door. "Jonghyun, please answer."

There was silence. _"Please. Go away."_ His voice was even weaker than this morning which meant that his situation didn't get even slightly better as the day went by.

Seongwu ached for him, but it wasn't like he knew what to do. "Tell us how we can help, Jonghyun. There has to be some way."

"Yes," Minhyun added. "Uh, food, water, medicines," _sex,_ "we can get it for you. Just… tell us what you need."

Silence once again. The two of them were pressed against the door, waiting for a sign or a sound or an indication that Jonghyun was willing to accept their help now. From where they were standing, Jonghyun's scent was teasing them through the wood, inviting them closer and closer though they had nowhere else to go unless…

_"End this. End my heat. Please."_

Seongwu felt that first in his knees and how they buckled at the sound of Jonghyun's voice so close to the door, the scent of him even stronger now. He knew it was his imagination, but he could almost feel the heat radiating off Jonghyun's skin right now; if he said 'yes', he'd be feeling that in a moment. All he needed to do was say _yes…_

"Jonghyun," Minhyun rasped. Seongwu didn't like his tone, didn't like how he almost sounded like he was going to say no, but he looked into Minhyun's eyes and saw a hunger that rivalled his. Those were the eyes of someone who was still holding back— for good reason, of course. They crossed so many lines already; this felt like another nail in the coffin. Was this the right time to think of consequences? Or did they just have to help each other out, as friends, as people who cared too much and felt too many things and were honestly just _humans_ with _needs?_

"Jonghyun, I don't want you to make these decisions when you're— when you're going crazy with your hormones, okay?" Minhyun's fingers were digging into the doorknob. _God,_ he just wanted to open that door, _finally._ "You need to be sure—"

Jonghyun went ahead of him and opened the door for him, just enough to peek his head out and release some of the pheromones that had been building up inside all day. Minhyun gasped as the door opened, and his body almost crumbled at the sensation of being so close to an omega in heat, being so close and yet _still_ holding himself back.

"Do you know," Jonghyun hissed with burning cheeks and hands that were shaking against the doorframe, "do you know how much you two drive me _insane,_ with or without scents involved?" His eyes were sparkling, not in the way they would when he was happy or amazed, but in tears of frustration that remained unshed because of how _exhausted_ he had been of crying and sobbing all day. This was _torture._ "If you two aren't ready to commit to this, get the fuck out of here!"

Minhyun swallowed the lump in his throat. "Jonghyun—"

"'You two'?" asked Seongwu, brows furrowed as he struggled to understand. Jonghyun was glaring more fiercely at him, but Seongwu could sense how his heat was flaring up at the sight of them. "What do you mean by that?"

"What? You're not taking responsibility for this?" Jonghyun grit his teeth. "Both of you. Honestly, just—" He sighed breathily, his knees almost giving way from beneath him. " _Please._ If you're not here to end my heat, you have to get out before I go insane. Save yourself at least."

Minhyun and Seongwu took one look at each other before they decided. _For Jonghyun?_

_For Jonghyun._

Minhyun pushed at the door and caught Jonghyun before he fell back, taking one look at his body that was covered in the prettiest flush and loose boxers that he probably just threw on in case the two of them got a peek without him wanting them to. He was a half-naked mess that looked more embarrassed than he was alluring. He _needed_ this. "Jonghyun."

"Don't ask if I'm sure because I _am,_ " he mumbled. Jonghyun sighed at the scent of the two, both of them invading his space as much as his scent was invading their senses. Minhyun was leading him towards the bed, and he gently pushed Jonghyun down to sit by the edge. He tilted Jonghyun's chin up, but Jonghyun was still looking at Seongwu who was looking around his room. "Lube… is in the third drawer, left side."

Minhyun got his attention by leaning down to press a soft kiss against his lips, one that Jonghyun tried to reach up to but was unable to get any farther than getting his hands on Minhyun's arms. Minhyun hooked his arm under Jonghyun's thigh and helped him to ease back on the bed and lie down.

"Did you clean up for our sakes? I'm touched," Seongwu managed to tease, though he still refused to look at Jonghyun properly in fear that he'd forget that this wasn't for him. He dug through Jonghyun's drawer and snorted as he lifted something with delicate fingers. "Hey, Minhyun. Take a look at this."

Minhyun pulled back from Jonghyun and squinted at what Seongwu was raising. "Aw, Jonghyun." He cupped Jonghyun's cheek and laughed as Jonghyun tried to bat away his hand. "That's cute."

"You could do better," Seongwu called out. He approximately measured the dildo with his hand. "Yeah, I _swear_ we're a lot better than this."

"Ugh, can you just get the lube and _shut up?_ " Jonghyun grumbled. "It was— _on sale._ "

Seongwu laughed as he walked back to the bed, this time with a small bottle of lube that seemed almost half empty. "Don't skimp on the toys, Jonghyun. They're an investment… on pleasure, at least." Seongwu patted his cheek and leaned down to give his forehead a kiss. Jonghyun looked up at him with tired eyes and unconsciously started twitching his hips. Seongwu got a hand on his boxers and helped him take it off, watching as Jonghyun panted with the slow slide of fabric against his heated skin.

Seongwu popped open the bottle and coated his fingers. Jonghyun was already slick from his own fluids and from his earlier activities, but Seongwu wanted to give him the full course, to give him all he could. Jonghyun sighed as Seongwu started with two fingers from the get-go. His fingers eased into the tight heat of Jonghyun's ass, making Jonghyun whine and squirm in his hold.

"Hey," Minhyun whispered in Jonghyun's ear, "calm down."

"Can't calm down… when you're so close," Jonghyun breathed out. His breath hitched as Seongwu's finger caught on his rim on its way out, giving Jonghyun a new sensation that made him squeeze. "I can't— it's so hot in here—"

"I know," said Minhyun before he kissed Jonghyun again, letting his fingers roam down Jonghyun's chest. He traced the lines on his lean body and circled around Jonghyun's nipples, not knowing that it would be enough to make Jonghyun release a shaky breath in his mouth and curl into himself, away from Minhyun's touch. Jonghyun glared at him and tried to move away, but Seongwu's hand on his hips and Minhyun's hand on the side of his neck pulled him back into Minhyun's kiss.

They didn't know how long they spent in those positions, with Minhyun keeping Jonghyun from getting impatient as Seongwu continued to work him up to four fingers in his ass, wide and thick and probably still not enough to simulate a knot, but good enough. Jonghyun nearly screamed as Seongwu pressed three fingers against that tiny bundle of nerves while Minhyun attempted to placate him with a hand on the base of his dick to prevent him from coming too soon.

"Enough, enough, enough, enough—" Jonghyun mumbled against the arm that he was using to muffle his sounds. He looked even more torn up than before, more vulnerable in the way he writhed against the sheets. Seongwu pulled back and wiped off his fingers on the bed sheets—receiving a harsh glare from Minhyun in response—and then they were stuck.

So… who was going to do the honors?

Seongwu wasn't going to lie or attempt to cover up the way his jeans were ready to burst, how he itched to get a taste of Jonghyun somewhere, to feel that heat envelop his heat. He crawled up and stroked Jonghyun's cheek with his clean hand, cupping his face to kiss him properly. "I'm still mad at you, by the way," Jonghyun whispered, "for causing all this."

Seongwu laughed and brushed their lips together briefly before sitting up and meeting Minhyun's soft eyes. He thought this would be weirder, that he'd see a hint of jealousy or rage in Minhyun's eyes. Seongwu didn't expect to see so much warmth, directed mostly towards Jonghyun— but him too. He was there, and Minhyun didn't act like he didn't want Seongwu there.

But really, there was no denying how Minhyun looked at Jonghyun, how he ached as he knew Jonghyun was in pain, how he cared for Jonghyun when he felt like it was getting too much for him to take at once, how he didn't jump into this situation because he cared more about how Jonghyun was truly feeling and if the regret that he knew Jonghyun would eventually feel was capable of souring their relationship any further. There was no denying that Minhyun truly, completely loved Jonghyun, and if the thought of never understanding his emotions for Minhyun broke Jonghyun enough to cause him to go into heat, there was something _special_ about these two.

Seongwu… shouldn't have been here in the first place.

"Minhyun," he said quietly, then he motioned towards Jonghyun with his head and got off the bed. Jonghyun's hand tried to follow him, but Seongwu's farewell for that night manifested in a soft kiss against his palm before he left the two alone.

"Why'd he leave?" said Jonghyun, though the longing in his eyes melted away when he looked back at Minhyun.

"For this, probably," Minhyun whispered. He stood up and started taking off his clothes, turning away from Jonghyun in fear that he would lose his courage. He could feel Jonghyun staring at him, feel the heat in his body rising as more and more of his skin was exposed to Jonghyun's eyes. He went back to bed and leaned over Jonghyun, tilting his head to the side as his face hovered over Jonghyun's. "Are you nervous?"

"Not as nervous as you, probably." Jonghyun was finally able to smile. It made the tight coil in Minhyun's stomach loosen just a bit, enough for him to sigh in relief and dip down for a quick kiss, just to feel that smile against his lips. Jonghyun's hands were shaking against Minhyun's shoulder, but he managed to distract them by reaching to the side and grabbing condoms from the dresser.

It was awkward to get off each other and take care of these little things, spending too much time trying to stop themselves from giggling in nervousness and fear. Jonghyun leaned into Minhyun's palm as he held Jonghyun's face again, and they spent another set of awkward seconds trying to position themselves for the long haul. "Minhyun," Jonghyun hissed, "we're making this weird."

"This is _entirely_ weird, Jonghyun." Minhyun kissed the back of his ear and sighed as the tip of his dick brushed against Jonghyun's ass. Taking it from behind would be easier for Jonghyun, especially when things would get more complicated with Minhyun's… uh, knot. "So weird."

"Just—" Jonghyun reached back and helped Minhyun ease into him, until Minhyun's chest was against Jonghyun's back and their skin was so _hot_ and Jonghyun felt all the air being punched out of his chest. He scrambled for something to hold on to, something to keep him grounded as Minhyun's hips made the smallest movements to adjust himself.

Minhyun… felt Jonghyun's pain. Even in the heat of the moment, even as they danced on the line between pain and pleasure, Minhyun felt Jonghyun's breathing stop as he pressed his face against the pillows to smother the sounds he was making. But as Minhyun started, as he used those little movements to get closer to Jonghyun, to press his heart against Jonghyun's back and make him feel just how crazily it was beating against his chest, to make him feel how Jonghyun drove him insane in more ways than one— slowly, Jonghyun began to move with him, to meet him halfway.

And _then_ Minhyun felt the atmosphere in the room change once again: from stifling heat, to something simmering beneath their skin, to an explosion of sensations and pleasure that he couldn't even put into words. It was all because of the person in his arms, the only one he's ever really looked at, the one that was worth all the waiting and the struggling and the arguments and the confusion and _everything,_ really.

Jonghyun cried out as he felt Minhyun's knot growing, felt the friction and how it gave him the most satisfying burn. Minhyun stopped rutting after a while and settled behind Jonghyun, cradling him against his chest as the unfamiliar pleasure threatened to burst immediately. Jonghyun groaned as Minhyun's sweaty arm wrapped around his waist, but he released a breathy laugh when Minhyun attacked the back of his neck with kisses.

"This is—" Minhyun sighed. "This is going to get very uncomfortable, _very soon._ "

"I know," said Jonghyun. He was still hard—and that was a miracle in itself considering all that he went through today—and he knew that he had to hold on to keep his body from cooling down and feeling the distinct discomfort of being so _full_. "We might as well… talk, I guess."

Minhyun's laugh, warm and full behind Jonghyun's ear, made him squirm and yearn to press back against Minhyun even more. "We don't have— much else to do. I wish I brought a movie or… something." He swallowed back the lump in his throat, the one that reminded him of how fucking _good_ it felt to be inside Jonghyun, but he had to hold himself back too.

"I'm sorry," Jonghyun whispered, "that we had to come to this so suddenly." He held Minhyun's hand and laced their fingers together. "You… do know what happened last night, right?"

"I do." Minhyun still didn't know what he felt about it.

"And?"

"And I—" Minhyun was trying to find the right words or even just _any words_ to describe the… disappointment? Loss? Confusion? How could he possibly describe it? "I have nothing to say. Because I have no right to say anything, don't I?"

Jonghyun tried to turn his head to see Minhyun's expression, but the way his body moved made a spark of pleasure rise up Minhyun's body, making him bury his face in Jonghyun's hair and squeeze his hand to stop himself from coming just yet. Jonghyun apologized and promised not to move anymore. "I kept telling myself that all day as I thought about it. But it's not fair, is it? That you care and I care and Seongwu… cares in his own way too?"

"This situation, not just the thing last night or this sex, just— _everything_ about the three of us…" Minhyun groaned as his words escaped him yet again. "It's like I can't imagine it without him being a part of it anymore, yeah?"

And if he were to be honest… that _was_ the honest truth. Maybe he loved Jonghyun so much and so deeply, but there was something that always held them back, some hindrance or bullshit that they told themselves and each other that kept them from getting anywhere for the past two years. Then Seongwu came along and things moved forward, even though there were hurdles and arguments and weeks of not talking instead of the perfect equilibrium they thought they had achieved. There was someone challenging them to break the peace, and somehow it only took that new presence to get them all here.

And _then_ this day happened, and Minhyun saw how Seongwu's eyes softened and his face fell when he looked at Minhyun looking at Jonghyun. Minhyun saw how he backed away, how he shut himself off when he read the atmosphere— and he read it _wrong,_ by the way.

"It's… weird," said Jonghyun, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "I need to be honest with you, right? I wanted him here too. And sometimes, I—" Minhyun could see the flush spreading across his chest, up his neck, and all over his face, but it seemed like this wasn't related to his heat or the knot in his ass. "I think about this sometimes. The three of us."

"I don't know," Minhyun whispered. "A while ago we talked about things going back to normal."

Minhyun felt Jonghyun's soft laughter through the vibrations in his chest. "What the hell is normal supposed to be even?"

"My thoughts exactly. Maybe we should… think about it. All of us, if Seongwu wants to be a part of it." Jonghyun smiled when Minhyun kissed his ear before starting to move his hips again, bringing them back to the heat that subsided when they decided that they needed to use their minds. For now, it would be pleasure and warmth and the _need_ that got them here. But after that…

_Our new normal. Let's start from there._

 

 

———

 

 

Seongwu sighed as he could finally hear himself think after _so long;_ waking up from his nap without the haze of Jonghyun's pheromones dulling his senses felt like a breath of fresh air, _literally._ He stretched out and cracked open a window, blinking at the night sky. It was spring now. Things changed in spring.

He turned around when he heard a door opening, and Seongwu smiled and leaned back on the wall when Minhyun came out of the room looking thoroughly blissful and very, very tired. "Hey there. It's over, huh?"

"Yeah, Jonghyun's been asleep for a while." Seongwu entered the kitchen with him, both of them enjoying the peace for a few more minutes. Just a few hours ago, they were in this exact same kitchen in these exact same positions, but the mood in the room couldn't be more different. Seongwu watched as Minhyun downed a glass of water, and Seongwu got another one and some painkillers from their kit. "What are these for?"

"For Jonghyun." Seongwu yawned as he handed Minhyun the pills. "He'll be in a lot of pain tomorrow."

Minhyun's expression changed. "Right, tomorrow."

There was trepidation in the way Minhyun said that word, uncertainty in what the next day could possibly bring them. Was Jonghyun going to regret it all? Would he conveniently forget about the things he said, about the first proper conversation that the two had in almost a month? Was he going to shift gears again and leave Minhyun behind, hoping and waiting for nothing again?

Seongwu kind of sensed that. "Hey. You're overthinking again."

"You're right," he whispered. "I am." Seongwu looked at Minhyun properly, observed his easy smile and the calm way he walked back to Jonghyun's room. He was… confident now. Without having to be there or having to know the full story, Seongwu knew that they finally figured themselves out. Somehow it was Seongwu who was overly pleased with this turn of events, happy that he was at least able to watch them achieve their happy ending.

He didn't want to think about his stay in Jonghyun's room, his experience being the third wheel, and that small twinge of dissatisfaction that he felt as he closed the door behind him and set off to take care of his arousal by himself. Honestly, Seongwu knew this would happen eventually; why did it sound like he was almost complaining about it? There were simply some people who were meant to be. He was happy for them.

Seongwu's train of thought was disturbed by Minhyun leaving Jonghyun's room again, this time stopping by the side of the doorway and leaving it ajar. "I should have given him the room with the windows. It's stuffy in there."

"And what? Get every homeless guy out there horny over Jonghyun's leftover pheromones?" They shuddered at the thought. "No thanks. Just leave the door open and we'll be able to handle it."

Minhyun stretched his arms over his head as he walked towards Seongwu again. They lifted themselves up to sit on the counter and stare at the leaking faucet. "Dinner?" Seongwu offered him a half-eaten sandwich that he found in the fridge.

"Shit, I forgot I haven't eaten yet." Minhyun eyed it suspiciously, but he shrugged and mumbled, I'll take it." They took turns eating until they were back to square one, staring at the faucet and wondering how the hell they ended up right there. Minhyun's hand brushed against Seongwu's fingers. "You should go to bed."

Seongwu hummed in agreement. "Are you staying in Jonghyun's room tonight? Or until further notice?" he teased. Minhyun laughed and nudged him by the shoulders. "What? Are you going to act all sheepish about this?"

"You know," there was a strange glint in Minhyun's eyes, "Jonghyun wants you there too."

His eyes darted away too quickly for Seongwu to check if there was sincerity in them, if the blush on Minhyun's cheeks was really telling him that he meant more than just sleeping there for a night. "What—"

"We talked about it for a bit," Minhyun started, "and I told him that he looked really disappointed when you left."

"Well— I mean, I thought it was only appropriate, to give you two— you needed _privacy,_ " Seongwu spluttered, though he didn't know where it was coming from. Was he just shocked to find out that Jonghyun actually wanted him there, that he wasn't just a third wheel or an afterthought?

Minhyun's laughter was too loud for the near-silent apartment, but Seongwu found himself distracted by the way Minhyun tilted his head back and squeezed his eyes as he witnessed Seongwu's gay panic. Minhyun bumped their knees together, looking down at where they made contact then looking up at Seongwu with a curious smile and a face that was suspiciously too close to Seongwu's. "Calm down, I haven't said anything."

"I'm not exactly looking forward to what this conversation is about," Seongwu said in a quiet voice, leaning away from Minhyun. He saw a flash of hurt cross his face, and Seongwu immediately had to take his words back. "Not because I'm not interested—which I don't know yet, and that depends on whether or not this is actually what you're going to talk about—but because I literally do not know what to expect and what you're about to say and—"

 _"Seongwu,"_ Minhyun held his face to stop him from babbling any further, "can I try something?"

Seongwu didn't like agreeing to things he wasn't sure of, but he found himself nodding as Minhyun closed that gap between them and placed a soft kiss on his lips, barely more than a peck but still enough to give Seongwu a taste of Minhyun's plush lips and the desire to deepen that imprint that Minhyun left on his.

"Hmm," Minhyun whispered as he drew his hand back, "interesting."

Seongwu sobered up and narrowed his eyes at Minhyun. The absurd events of this day seemed to never end, and the thought of that and the lingering sensation of Minhyun's smooth palm against his cheek gave Seongwu only one valid reaction left for everything he had experienced: throaty, breathy, uncontrollable laughter that left him wheezing and groaning at the ridiculousness of this situation. "First of all, _what the hell?_ "

Minhyun rubbed the back of his neck, and Seongwu internally forgave him for freaking him out so much when he saw the shyness in Minhyun's eyes and the way he was shaking too. He felt it too; this was weird, but good. But still _very_ weird.

"Look, let's not pretend that we don't know what this is about. It's not…" Minhyun squirmed as he searched for the right words. "It's not that we both want you—"

"Oh, wow, thanks for _that_ ," Seongwu grumbled.

"No, listen, dumbass." Minhyun punched Seongwu's arm and tried to get his attention by bumping shoulders with him, this time sticking around to press his side against Seongwu's. "We didn't _decide_ that we wanted you or anything. It was more like he likes you and I like you," Minhyun avoided his eyes, "and it just so happens that we like each other too. This isn't something we're _inviting_ you to; it's more like… we're open to it if you're open to it."

Simple words. Minhyun was sticking to simple words and vagueness to keep Seongwu from twisting his words and to keep himself from fucking up. For some reason, Seongwu really, _really_ liked that. He liked how soft Minhyun looked in the dim lighting from the hallway, liked how he was comfortable enough to sit on the counters that he dutifully wiped down the moment he got home, liked how he slouched and turned away from Seongwu as he processed his own words and his own embarrassment.

"I didn't think you would be," said Seongwu. "I mean, I didn't think Jonghyun would either but— mostly you. I cared, you know." It was Seongwu's turn to turn away. "What you thought about me. From the very beginning."

"Yeah, me too. And it took us…" Minhyun mentally went through their records of arguments and general unpleasantness before they could actually consider those as friendly bickering, "a little more than a month to actually be able to talk to each other? And now we're friends, and that _really_ matters to me. Because this is weird."

"Oh, thank goodness, someone _finally_ said it," Seongwu drawled. "This is really fucking weird, Minhyun."

"I know, I know!" Easy laughter flowed between them. "This is possibly the weirdest situation I've ever been in. Jonghyun included. You too, probably. But—" He tilted his head to really meet Seongwu's eyes. "There you go. If it helps, we're all in the same boat here."

Seongwu didn't know where he was going with the hand on Minhyun's thigh and the other one under his chin, guiding him to another kiss, one that made up for how brief the first one was. Minhyun kept his eyes closed even after Seongwu pulled back, and he met Seongwu's gaze with a sleepy smile. "It does help," Seongwu said softly before letting go of Minhyun's face. "I'll think about it."

"Okay, good night." Minhyun squeezed Seongwu's thigh before hopping off the counter and walking back to Jonghyun's room. "You can stay—"

"I know, Minhyun. Good night."

Seongwu ducked his head down and smiled to himself when he heard the door close again. He had options now, places to go and places to be. Things to do. People to be with. Talking about how strange this all was felt a little redundant now. Maybe all Seongwu needed to do was jump into this, something new and interesting and possibly amazing. Who knew?

No one did, actually. Seongwu eventually realized: _that's the point._

He opened the door hesitantly, waiting for Jonghyun to rouse with the light from the hallway coincidentally hitting his face. Jonghyun groaned and moved back to give Seongwu some space to lie down beside him. "Hey," Jonghyun croaked, "you ran away from me."

"I— I did not _run away;_ I thought it was appropriate!" Seongwu huffed.

"Just… shut up," Jonghyun mumbled, though he tilted his chin up and smiled as Seongwu understood the cue and gave him a soft kiss. "You're staying, right? Not just for tonight?"

"I—"

"I'll take that as a _yes_ ," Jonghyun whispered. Seongwu laughed nervously and got under the covers, not expecting Jonghyun to immediately hug his waist and cuddle against him. Minhyun snickered at the surprise on Seongwu's face, Seongwu flicked his forehead in retaliation, and Jonghyun rolled his eyes at the two.

Somehow, despite the strangeness of the situation and the overwhelming warmth they all felt in their chests and the odd way that they all just _fit,_ all limbs and hands and hairs tickling each other and keeping them from actually falling asleep— despite it all, nothing seemed out of the ordinary; just a little new, just a little different. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt #6: "abo au - learning to live with each other, maybe a/a/o aka pride problems and stuff, also trying to have sex the first time turns out to be a disaster but they got it in the end" (thank you to the 355jl mods for organizing this fic fest and finally giving me the courage to write an a/b/o fic !!!)
> 
> HELLO congrats on finishing this wild ride hahaha this is my first time writing a poly relationship (and an a/b/o fic), so i was really worried about how it would turn out ;; the first part was really focusing on the friendship aspect of their relationship, and the second part was more on the romantic/sexual aspect. aaaaa i really struggled with the balance and flow of the story, especially bc it ended up being so…… damn…………… LONG.
> 
> thank you to sami and lu for looking at this in different stages of development to help me figure out how the heck to even write this story RIP i love y'all!! (also to the ppl who saw me yelling over this for the past how many weeks ;;; now u see why i was so stressed lmao)
> 
> comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated!! also questions about the story and the characters (or even the writing process bc hoo oo ooo boy i went through a lot for this) <3
> 
> title from Tegan and Sara - Closer
> 
> follow me on [twitter (@amenochieien)](https://twitter.com/amenochieien) or talk to me on [curiouscat (/junfhongs)](https://curiouscat.me/junfhongs)!!


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